- Bungie employees are facing a ‘soul-crushing’ atmosphere after recent layoffs.
- There is a threat of a total takeover by Sony if the studio doesn’t meet financial targets.
- There could be even more layoffs if Destiny 2’s expansion doesn’t do well after its release.
Sony acquired Bungie last year for a deal worth $3.7 billion. Despite the acquisition, the studio was allowed to develop and publish games independently. However, things took a turn for the worse as the studio was recently hit with a huge number of layoffs.
About 100 Bungie employees unfortunately lost their jobs last month out of the 1200 staff. According to a report, the remaining employees had to take several pay cuts and other measures to keep the studio away from a total Sony takeover.
Why it matters: This situation would result in Bungie losing the freedom it currently enjoys, with Sony pulling the strings.
The board of governors includes a team headed by PlayStation Studios’ head, Hermen Hulst, and Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. Some anonymous employees have told IGN that the threat of a total Sony takeover has been looming since October’s layoffs.
According to the report, Bungie’s CEO has the last say on the matter. The studio has certain financial goals it needs to achieve to avoid the takeover, but the poor performance of Destiny 2 and the recent delay to The Final Shape have made these goals unattainable.
Furthermore, the employees still working at the studio are facing a very heavy workload. The working environment has reportedly become a lot harsher, with no room for error at all.
An employee also labeled the atmosphere as ‘soul-crushing.’
However, things aren’t looking promising for the remaining employees either. If The Final Shape doesn’t do as anticipated, more layoffs are expected. While layoffs have been unfortunately recurrent this year, the environment surrounding this one is rather severe.
Recently, studios like Naughty Dog and Ubisoft went through similar scenarios.
Seeing how bad things are right now, we hope Bungie employees can make a comeback. It’s been six years since Destiny 2 came out, and to date, it’s receiving some great content.
The Final Shape is reportedly set for June 2024, and this expansion will decide the fate of the studio.
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