Two weeks after releasing the final update for Destiny 2, Marathon developer Bungie has announced that it will be going through layoffs.
In a post on Bluesky, the Bungie account publishes a statement saying, "With great sadness, we are announcing a reduction in force as we reorganize Bungie." It adds, "As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years. Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size."
Destiny 2 had its final update just over two weeks ago after a few years of struggles and a dwindling playerbase, compounded with the difficult development and underwhelming release of Marathon earlier this year. Earlier this year Sony announced it had an impairment loss of $765 million on the studio over the last financial year. And while the final update brought in Destiny 2's highest player count in years, it is sadly too late for the game.
The statement continues, "We know this decision has a profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates. While these changes are necessary to best position the studio now and for the future, that does not lessen the difficulty of this moment or the impact it has on those affected. Later, we will share more about that future with you all but today is not that day. Today, we wish to extend our gratitude and compassion to every member of the Bungie team who has been impacted and to those who remain."
PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst sent an internal email to staff which was published on the Sony website, saying: "We have made the decision to reduce Bungie's workforce, affecting a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members. There are also reductions across SIE teams that support Bungie's operations. Those impacted at Bungie and within SIE are being informed today." The exact number of affected employees was not confirmed.
Hulst's memo continues, "Over the past several months, together with Bungie leadership, we reviewed the studio's long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy. We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio's resources with its current priorities and long-term goals."
As for Marathon, Hulst says it "remains an important part of our portfolio, and we will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects. While it's too early to discuss, we are encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead."
This comes a day after the game's community lead said Destiny 2 fans shouldn't "blame yourselves," and a week after comments emerged from former Destiny 2 devs who claimed working at Bungie was a "toxic, dysfunctional experience."
Unfortunately, the studio's troubled few years have ended up at this point, and Bungie ends its statement by addressing fans over their "gratitude and compassion": "We hope you will do the same."
