Bungie laid off staff this week, and Bloomberg reported that it was around 100 people. Although PlayStation studios saw layoffs throughout the year, some considered Sony — which acquired the company over a year ago — would be behind this decision. But according to a source shared by Paul Tassi at Forbes, the layoffs came from Bungie management, not Sony.
While social media flooded with former employees searching for work, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons tweeted acknowledging the layoffs, while even stating that “These are truly talented people. If you have openings, I would highly recommend each and every one of them.” Destiny 2 players and developers in the games industry alike weren’t appeased by the CEO’s comments.
IGN came out with a report that Parsons allegedly told current employees at Bungie that the company kept “the right people” for Destiny 2. People from several departments were laid off — including social media, production, art, and QA teams — ranging from fresh faces to those in senior roles who worked at the company for years.
The report also said that after speaking to some employees, the site can confirm that Bungie was indeed behind the layoffs. “Parsons told employees that the layoffs were largely due to underperformance of Destiny 2 over the last year, as well as lower-than-expected preorders for upcoming expansion The Final Shape,” IGN added. Shortly after the layoffs went public, news broke out that The Final Shape was getting delayed to June 2024, months after its initial planned release date.
Tassi’s source also claims that benefits for staff — excluding health insurance — only lasts until the end of the month, but employees were let go on October 30th, leaving a day to sort things out. Not only that, staff who had shares in the company from the Sony acquisition could lose out on them.
