Destiny 2 developer Bungie, recently acquired by PlayStation for a staggering $3.6 billion, has unfortunately become the latest victim of layoffs in 2023. Former employees took to Twitter to announce their layoffs, and Bloomberg has confirmed through its sources that an undisclosed number of staff were affected.
According to Bloomberg, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons informed the employees that they would be receiving some news, followed by a team meeting later in the day to discuss the events.
The reason for these layoffs remains uncertain, especially since Bungie is preparing to release a highly anticipated expansion for Destiny 2 titled “The Final Shape.” This expansion marks the conclusion of the decade-long saga that began with the original Destiny game. However, Bloomberg reports that its sources claim the release of “The Final Shape” has been internally delayed to June 2024, a few months later than the previously announced date of February 27, 2024.
Game Informer has reached out to PlayStation for further insights and will provide updates as necessary.
Sony’s acquisition of Bungie for $3.6 billion was announced in January 2022 and completed in July 2022. These recent layoffs occurred less than two years after the acquisition.
Unfortunately, these Bungie layoffs contribute to an ever-growing list of layoffs affecting game studios in 2023, which has been an exceptional year for gaming in terms of releases. Microsoft, amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, laid off 10,000 employees in January.
Other studios that have experienced layoffs this year include Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year’s “The Callisto Protocol,” which laid off over 30 employees in August. In the same month, BioWare, known for the “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” series, laid off 50 employees, including long-time veterans. In September, Ascendant Studios, the developer of “Immortals of Aveum,” laid off approximately 45% of its workforce.
This month alone has seen layoffs at Naughty Dog, the studio behind “The Last of Us,” where at least 25 employees were affected. Additionally, Telltale Games has undergone layoffs, although the exact number of employees affected has not been revealed. Finally, Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees just last week.
The Game Informer team extends its support to all those impacted by these layoffs, as well as those who remain at the affected studios.
[Source: Bloomberg]
