Bungie made some headlines not too long ago when Sony announced that it would acquire the studio. The company that previously delivered one of the key exclusive franchises for Microsoft with Halo had since transitioned to providing Destiny. However, since being acquired by Sony, Bungie’s situation seems to be dire. There is a new report from IGN that spoke with several developers within the company. Wishing to remain anonymous, we only have reports to provide, and if they are to be believed, Sony could very well take total control of Bungie in the future.
Details regarding the acquisition of Bungie are pretty scarce right now. Apparently, it’s believed that the agreement was that Bungie could operate as an independent subsidiary of Sony. Bungie was also set up with a board of directors that consists of Sony’s Hermen Hulst and Eric Lempel. However, to even things out, the board also comes with Bungie’s Jason Jones, Luis Villegas, and Pete Parsons. It’s believed that to ensure this board stays in place and Bungie continues to keep its independence, the company would need to meet specific financial goals. Right now, it’s not looking good when meeting these goals, prompting the series of layoffs.
According to the sources IGN spoke with, morale is at a low with fears that more layoffs are potentially coming. Beyond that, there were several cutbacks, such as keeping the studio from hiring any new staff. Furthermore, travel budgets and holiday bonuses are being reduced, among other employee compensation benefits.
So, the pressure is at an all-time high with developers to ensure that their DLC release for Destiny 2, The Final Shape, exceeds expectations. It’s been reported in the past that this DLC is a make-or-break for Bungie. We even saw the expansion get delayed to ensure the development studio had enough time to ensure the content was solid for players when it did launch into the marketplace.
We’ll just have to wait and see how well Destiny 2: The Final Shape manages to do when it releases. Otherwise, it’s possible we’ll see even more layoffs hit Bungie, followed by Sony completely taking over the company. Currently, Destiny 2: The Final Shape is set to launch on June 4, 2024. Until then, there will be more content planned for Destiny 2: Into the Light that will help keep fans tied over.
