Bungie, the well-known gaming company behind popular titles like Halo and Destiny, has made the tough decision to lay off 220 employees, which accounts for about 17% of its workforce. This news came as a surprise to many, including the employees themselves, who felt blindsided by the sudden reduction in staff.
According to two former employees who were impacted by the layoffs, the company had recently released a successful project, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which had exceeded expectations. Management had also been giving positive signals about the company’s performance in team meetings, leading many to believe that everything was going well.
Tzivi Sherman, a sound designer at Bungie, shared that he first learned about the layoffs through a post on Bungie’s corporate Twitter account, followed by a meeting request with an ominous title. This left him feeling unsettled, especially since he had been anticipating more layoffs after a previous round in October.
Another affected employee, Guilhem Lagarde, expressed feeling deceived by upper management, suggesting that they were not transparent about the company’s true situation. Both former employees mentioned a noticeable culture shift at Bungie following Sony’s acquisition in 2022, with increased integration efforts between the two companies more recently.
The gaming industry has seen a trend of layoffs following major acquisitions, with thousands of workers being let go in recent years. Despite investor interest in the industry, developers have not always been able to avoid layoffs during times of transition.
Bungie’s CEO, Pete Parsons, addressed the layoffs as a necessary step to refocus the studio and mentioned plans to integrate some employees with Sony to prevent further layoffs. Additionally, the company announced a new game in development, set in a science-fantasy universe, as part of its efforts to move forward.
This recent layoff comes on the heels of another round of layoffs in October 2023, along with delays in game releases. Despite these challenges, Bungie still has a large team dedicated to projects like Destiny and Marathon, showing a commitment to moving forward despite setbacks.
As the gaming industry continues to evolve and adapt to changes, it remains to be seen how Bungie will navigate this period of transition and emerge stronger on the other side. Requests for comment from Bungie regarding the layoffs were not immediately answered, leaving many questions unanswered about the company’s future plans.
