LogInAt the moment, the exact number of fired workers remains unknown.
Image Credit: Bungie, Destiny 2
Bungie, the game development studio responsible for the Destiny franchise and the original Halo games, has become the latest AAA studio to be hit by the massive wave of layoffs in 2023. This information was first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier and is connected to the ongoing staff cuts within Sony's PlayStation division.
According to the social media posts shared by former workers, the affected departments include communications, recruiting, legal, social media, and publishing, among others. Currently, the exact number of employees who have been fired remains unknown.
"Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio," commented Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. "What these exceptional individuals have contributed to our games and Bungie culture has been enormous and will continue to be a part of Bungie long into the future."
In addition to the employee layoffs, Bungie is also said to be postponing the release of two of its upcoming titles: Marathon and The Final Shape, a DLC for Destiny 2. The release date for The Final Shape has been pushed back to June 2024, while Marathon is not expected to be released until 2025.
Image Credit: Bungie, Destiny 2
Additionally, it's important to mention that when Sony acquired Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion, both companies stated that Bungie would maintain creative freedom and function as a semi-independent entity within Sony. However, it appears that this freedom did not extend to Sony's capacity to terminate certain developers and was limited to Bungie's game-related endeavors.
Image Credit: Bungie, Destiny 2
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