The American studio Bungie (Destiny 2, Marathon), owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment for more than two years, announced a second, even larger wave of layoffs in the last year.
Image source: Steam (BeeryAlKo)
Let us remember that last fall Bungie fired about 100 specialists (8% of the total staff), and this time 220 people lost their jobs, that is, about 17% of the staff. Studio CEO Pete Parsons announced this.
The cuts will affect all levels of Bungie, including management positions and key specialists. Parsons cited rising costs, changes in the gaming industry and difficult economic conditions as the reason for the layoffs.
Image source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
In addition to the 17% of employees laid off, an additional 12% of Bungie’s workforce (155 people) will be integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment over the coming months. In other words, the studio will lose 375 specialists in total.
As part of increased integration with the parent company, Bungie will also hand over to SIE an action game in the incubation stage in a new sci-fi universe – a separate studio will be opened for its development at PlayStation Studios.
Image source: Bungie
«We have 850 employees remaining working on Destiny and Marathon, and we will continue to create great experiences that exceed our players’ expectations,” Parsons said.
A new wave of layoffs has hit Bungie amid the success (both critical and sales) of The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2, released in June. Marathon, meanwhile, is expected to release in 2025 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S.