Bungie Lays Off Staff, Projects Delayed

Bungie is the latest PlayStation studio to get hit with layoffs, which are causing delays for Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon. The number of staff laid off is so far unspecified.

Initially reported by Bloomberg, Bungie Chief Executive Pete Parsons confirmed the layoffs on X. However, he did not address the delays in upcoming projects.

Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio. 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.

— pete parsons (@pparsons) October 30, 2023

Bloomberg suggests that The Final Shape, Destiny 2’s upcoming expansion, has been delayed to June 2024. Furthermore, Bungie’s reboot of Marathon has allegedly been delayed to 2025.

Cuts to Bungie’s staff have also been confirmed by former employees, and have seemed to impact the quality assurance, editorial, and recruiting departments. They include ex-social media head Griffin Bennett and franchise editor Jason Guisao.

In 2022, Sony acquired Bungie with the intention of learning how live-service community games operate, given the enormous success of Destiny 2. Sadly, layoffs continue to plague the gaming industry, and more developers are starting to unionize in order to protect their positions at companies.