Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon reportedly delayed amid Bungie layoffs
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Update - October 30:BungieCEO Pete Parsons hasreleaseda statement acknowledging the layoffs, but the reported delays to Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon are notably unmentioned. Here’s the statement in full:
“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. These are truly talented people. If you have openings, I would highly recommend each and every one of them.”
Original story:
Bungie has reportedly delayed Destiny 2’s Final Shape expansion and its next game,Marathon, amid layoffs at the company.
That’s according to a new story fromBloomberg, which cites unnamed sources familiar with the company’s plans. Bungie CEO Pete Parsons reportedly broke the news today.
The layoffs, at least, have been publicly confirmed. Dozens of Bungie employees took to social media to share that they’d been laid off as part of this shake-up, with affected roles including community management, recruiting, social media, publishing producer, various artists, QA, support, and others.
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These layoffs come less than a year afterBungie was acquired by Sonyfor $3.6 billion and, while operating independently, folded into PlayStation Studios. As we agreed in ourDestiny 2 Lightfall review, the expansion that immediately followed that deal was widely regarded as one of the studio’s weaker releases.
Bungie has yet to address any of this in a statement, but it seems likely that one is forthcoming given the scope of the news. I’ve reached out to the studio for comment and will update this story if I hear back.
Bungie is sadly only the latest in a growing line of industry layoffs. Cyberpunk 2077 developerCD Projekt Red, Dragon Age and Mass Effect studioBioWare, The Last of Us developerNaughty Dog (reportedly),Epic Games(which shed a whopping 830 people), and multiple Embracer Group studios including Tomb Raider devCrystal Dynamicshave all reported layoffs this year, and even that isn’t an exhaustive list.
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