Bungie Lays Off Most of the Destiny 2 Development Team
▼ Summary
– Bungie announced the end of Destiny 2’s live-service updates, followed by significant layoffs affecting most of the Destiny team and some Marathon developers.
– Sony’s Hermen Hulst confirmed the layoffs were necessary to align Bungie’s resources with its long-term goals after exploring other alternatives.
– Marathon development will continue, but its long-term future is not guaranteed like Destiny 2’s was.
– Bungie justified the cuts by stating it could not maintain its previous size after Destiny 2’s final update and with future projects in early incubation.
– Destiny 2 received its final update, Monument of Triumph, on June 9, and a bundle of all expansions was released.
The past several months have been trying for Destiny 2 fans, but the situation is far more dire for the developers who have poured nearly a decade into the franchise. Just five weeks ago, Bungie revealed that the game’s next expansion would be its final major update, effectively ending the live-service title less than nine years after its debut. At the time, speculation swirled about what this meant for the studio. Some hoped the team would pivot directly to a new Destiny 3 project. Today, the grim reality has set in.
Bungie has confirmed a massive round of layoffs that will impact “most of the Destiny team,” along with some developers working on Marathon and employees at Sony Interactive Entertainment who supported Bungie. The announcement came via a statement from Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony’s Studio Business Group. “We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals,” Hulst wrote.
Regarding Marathon, Hulst added that the title “remains an important part of our portfolio.” He continued, “We will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects. While it’s too early to discuss, we are encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead.” This suggests Marathon is safe for now, though it’s no guarantee the game will enjoy the same longevity as Destiny 2.
Bungie released its own statement justifying the cuts. “Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size,” the studio explained. Still, the sheer scale of the layoffs indicates Bungie will be left as a shadow of its former self. This comes after several other waves of job cuts at the developer over the past three years.
Destiny 2’s final update, titled Monument of Triumph, launched on June 9. Alongside this conclusion, Bungie also released Destiny 2: The Collection, a bundle that packages all available expansions and content packs into a single product.
Game Informer extends its sympathies to the many developers now facing unemployment. Bungie’s most recent release, Marathon, currently stands as one of the highest-rated games of the year.
(Source: Gameinformer.com)
