Bungie Cut Approximately 300 Jobs; Studio Head Steps Down

Sony has finally taken the axe to Destiny 2 and Marathon studio Bungie, cutting approximately 300 staff as it looks to assert greater control over the studio.

The move comes after deciding to wind down development of Destiny 2, with its final, well-received 'Monuments of Triumph' patch landing earlier this month. The recently-released Marathon is also working to increase its playerbase following relatively low adoption.

In an official statement across their social media profiles, Bungie says that leadership "recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years", and as they look to right the ship with new projects "in early incubation", they could not justify their headcount.

Industry journalist Stephen Totilo is reporting that the total number of staff affected by the layoffs has reached 292, with the official Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice stating the impacted staff will be leaving the studio early next month.

In an internal memo sent to SIE staff and published by Sony, head of Sony's Studio Business Group Hermen Hulst said that most of the Destiny team and some Marathon staff had been laid off, alongside some SIE teams that supported Bungie. Hulst said that after having reviewed Bungie's direction against the portfolio of Sony's studios and upcoming projects, the decision was taken to reduce Bungie's headcount to support the studio's current priorities and goals, with Marathon remaining an "important part" of the company's portfolio, and that Bungie would continue to support that game whilst also incubating new projects.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier is reporting on Bluesky that studio head Justin Truman has also left the studio. Truman took over from former CEO Pete Parsons, who departed last year after shedding another 220 roles [via PC Gamer] and following reports he allegedly amassed a vintage car collection worth over $2 million [via Twitter user @DestinyNostalgi].

A successor has not been named, and it'll be interesting to see whether the new leader will be installed by Sony themselves, giving them more power over a studio that was staunch in its independence following its acquisition in 2022. Last year, in an earnings call, Sony's CFO Lin Tao said that the independence was "getting lighter" as Destiny 2 began to miss revenue targets.