Bungie lays off 17% of its workforce, and its developers call for its CEO to step down
Destiny studio Bungie has announced that it is laying off over 200 employees due to "rising development costs and industry shifts," prompting former and current employees to call for CEO Pete Parsons' resignation.
The details:
Parson confirmed in a blog post on the studio's website that 220 employees have been laid off, accounting for approximately 17% of the current workforce. According to the CEO, the cuts were necessary to "refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials" and that the decision has affected "every level of the company," including its higher-ups.
The developer will continue to focus on Destiny and the upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, but it also moved one of its projects to a new studio within PlayStation Studios. The project is still in early stages and has been described as a "action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe."
Following the announcement, current and former Bungie employees have criticized Parsons, calling on him to resign. Destiny 2 global community lead Dylan Gafner called the cuts "inexcusable," while former community and social media managers Griffin Bennett and Liana Ruppert described Parsons as a "joke" and a "liar," respectively.
Bungie has had a difficult few years, laying off over 100 employees in late 2023 and damaging its reputation with the Destiny community through subpar content releases and a $15 "starter pack" that was introduced shortly after the layoffs.
The company's struggles have prompted reports that Sony may take full control of the developer. This process appears to have already begun, with Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb reporting that PlayStation CEO Hermen Hurst is essentially running Bungie, with some former developers being moved to other PlayStation-owned studios.
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