Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2 and the original creators of Halo, has been hit with multiple layoffs this morning.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported the “full scope” of the layoffs “isn’t clear yet, but CEO Pete Parsons emailed the company this morning to say they’ll be having a team meeting today to talk about ‘some news today coming out of Bungie’ as staff are informed.”
Two Bungie community managers, Liana Ruppert and Sam Bartley, both posted about being laid off on Twitter this morning. It’s unknown how many more there are, but if there are more affected, the news will likely come in throughout the day.
“I am now looking for opportunities,” Ruppert said on Twitter. “I have 21 years of games industry experience in media, production, and community management. I’m processing, I’m so heartbroken. I don’t know what to do from here…this was my home. I feel so lost.”
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said the studio “let go an undisclosed number of staffers” today and will be delaying Destiny 2: The Final Shape DLC to June 2024. Upcoming extraction shooter Marathon has also been pushed to 2025, according to Schreier, who spoke to “people with knowledge of the matter” who asked not to be identified.
Schreier also said Sony has been cutting jobs in its PlayStation division “in part due to delays,” so it’s possible today’s layoffs could have something to do with the potential missed release dates.
Bungie, now under the banner of PlayStation after Sony purchased the studio for $3.6 billion in 2022, is the second studio within the company to be hit by layoffs within the past week. LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule reportedly laid off 20 percent of its staff on Oct. 24.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape was scheduled to be released on Feb. 27, 2024, on all platforms.
Update on Oct. 30 at 3:30pm CT: Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has commented on the layoffs on Twitter.
“Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio,” he said. “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. These are truly talented people. If you have openings, I would highly recommend each and every one of them.”
As more former employees continue to post on social media, the number of those laid off appears to be in the dozens. Forbes writer Paul Tassi said departments affected include art, player support, recruitment, legal, and QA.
Published: Oct 30, 2023 12:13 pm