After Bungie’s recent announcement of employee layoffs and the release delay of Destiny 2 The Final Shape and Marathon, it has been revealed that approximately 100 employees were let go, accounting for 8% of the total workforce of 1,200.
Pete Parsons, the CEO of Bungie, informed the remaining employees that the company is now focused on retaining the right people to develop the future of Destiny 2. He acknowledged that the majority of layoffs were a result of underperformance in Destiny 2, as well as lower than expected pre-orders for The Final Shape expansion.
Bungie employees have often been notified about the declining player confidence in Destiny 2, with a significant decrease in player numbers, only reaching 45% of the projected estimates. As a result, revenues have fallen short, leading to the need for layoffs. IGN reported that several months prior to the layoffs, employees had requested the opportunity to improve the game and bring players back.
A former Bungie employee shared that after Sony acquired Bungie in 2022, they repeatedly assured the employees that there would be no layoffs. The report also referenced Sony’s quarterly report, which stated that the acquisition of Bungie was worth $1.2 billion out of a total of $4 billion, emphasizing Sony’s clear intent to retain the workforce. Many employees confirmed that they were fairly compensated, with payments being distributed according to discipline and seniority.
However, numerous employees expressed dissatisfaction with the layoffs, feeling that Bungie’s decision to address the company’s financial issues was beyond their control. They believe that those who were let go were largely blamed for problems they did not predominantly cause. An ex-employee told IGN that it was strange that the layoffs seemed to be based on decisions made by individuals in other departments.
IGN also received reports that a significant number of QA team members were let go in the weeks and months leading up to the official announcement of layoffs. Although the exact number is unknown, the volume of dismissals was so notable that the head of the company’s quality control department had to email employees to address the situation. The email explicitly stated that these were not layoffs based on cost-cutting measures and if layoffs were to occur, they would directly relate to this issue.
TLDR: After employee layoffs and the release delay of Destiny 2 The Final Shape and Marathon, it has been revealed that 100 employees were let go, accounting for 8% of the total workforce. Bungie’s CEO has emphasized the need to retain the right people for the development of Destiny 2. The decline in player confidence and lower than expected pre-orders contributed to revenue falling short. Despite the reassurance of no layoffs after Sony’s acquisition of Bungie, several employees were dissatisfied and believed that the decision to lay off employees was out of their control. Prior to the official announcement, a significant number of QA team members were also let go.
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