Bungie, the company that worked on the original Halo games and Destiny 2, is in a tight spot right now, with Sony looking to take over. The company that owns PlayStation can dissolve the current board of directors if Bungie fails to hit certain financial goals, which has led to a “soul-crushing” atmosphere.
IGN’s extensive report details how Bungie is still an independent studio, despite the Sony purchase, but some of that power appears to be crumbling away. The report states that Bungie has been struggling to hit certain financial goals, with hopes that The Final Shape expansion can help things.
Due to Sony’s demands, Bungie ended up laying off a good number of its employees to try and meet these goals. These layoffs were a way for Bungie to try and hold on to their current independence, hence, the low morale for current employees.
Those layoffs weren’t the whole story, however, as employees working for the Destiny 2 company have confirmed various cost-cutting measures. Currently, the company has implemented a hiring freeze, removed holiday bonuses, reduced the travel budget, and more. Various morale-boosting activities, like cooking and knitting classes, are now quarterly instead of monthly.
Unfortunately, hopes just aren’t high for the Bungie employees, with many of them hoping that The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 sells well. While not necessarily the company’s only hope, it was stressed that more layoffs could come if The Final Shape fails to meet financial expectations.
“We know we need Final Shape to do well,” an unnamed employee told IGN. “And the feeling at the studio is that if it doesn’t we’re definitely looking at more layoffs.”
Aside from the Destiny 2 expansion, Bungie is also working on Marathon for PS5 and PC, which looks to be a reboot of the company’s older games. Hopefully, this is also a success for Bungie, given some of their current struggles.
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Destiny 2 is a free-to-play game available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC. The Final Shape, an upcoming Destiny 2 expansion, has been delayed to June 4, 2024.