After the release of “The Final Shape” expansion failed to revive interest in Destiny 2, Bungie, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony, announced significant layoffs.
The company will be reducing its workforce by 17%, resulting in the loss of 220 developers. This decision comes as Bungie continues to struggle with the development of its live-service shooter “Marathon” for Sony, which is yet another progressive and inclusive live service game.
As part of Bungie’s “New Path” plan, the latest round of layoffs will impact all areas of the developer, including senior roles and executives. This follows a previous reduction in October 2023, when the company let go of 100 employees.
Despite these cuts, Bungie still has over 850 active developers working on Destiny and the upcoming live-service game Marathon. Officially announced in May 2023, Marathon has yet to showcase any gameplay or reveal further details since its announcement, raising concerns about its development progress.
Marathon is a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter where players take on the role of cybernetic mercenaries known as runners. Sony has been heavily investing in live-service games, partly driven by the unexpected success of Helldivers 2, although they ultimately killed it with obsessive balance patches alongside attempting to force PC players into creating a PSN account to play.
Despite this, another upcoming live-service shooter from Sony, Concord, has faced significant backlash for its cast of progressive characters which has been ridiculed by gamers.
Marathon will focus on PvP extraction gameplay and will not include a single-player campaign. Despite this, Sony and Bungie are expected to charge consumers at least $40 for the game, with PC players required to create a PlayStation Network account to play.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced the layoffs on the developer’s official website, citing the increased costs of game development amidst tough economic conditions.
Bungie, like many Western game studios including their parent company in Sony, has been focusing on adhering to BlackRock’s ESG mandates and DEI initiatives.
As a result, their primary focus has shifted from creating resonant experiences to producing “woke” content that attracts short-term investment capital from hedge funds supporting ESG initiatives.
Modern game development is a lengthy and complex process, taking significantly more time and resources than in the past with Sony’s own first party titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War Ragnarok and The Last Of Us burning through hundreds of millions throughout their development process, excluding the costs of marketing.
Video games are increasingly becoming an unsustainable business venture. The industry is likely to collapse in the coming years, especially as developers prioritize creating safe and inclusive games over ones that truly captivate audiences for momentary financial benefit.
Hence why all these western studios who are overstaffed are beginning to lay off large portions of their workforce or are being terminated outright.
The current workforce is often more aligned with activism, eagerly promoting progressive agendas tied to DEI and ESG goals. This was evident when a former Bungie community manager was exposed for her anti-White rhetoric, and Bungie employees rushed to defend her.
Bungie CEO, Pete Parsons announced the layoffs on his official Twitter account and was subsequently bombarded with insults from activists, including some of the employees he had just sacked.
When the majority of your game development studio is entirely comprised of dyed haired women with front fringes, it’s over.
This reaction highlights the issue of a studio seemingly over-investing in DEI hires for tax benefits subsequently failing to produce anything of value with the development of future projects struggling as a result.
The 17% reduction in workforce is significant, with an additional 155 employees being integrated into other departments within Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Combined with the 100 layoffs from October of last year, Bungie has lost roughly 40% of its total workforce in the past 12 months.
Bungie had around 1,200 employees last year before laying off 100 people amid a delay to the Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion.
The release of The Final Shape initially sparked interest in their now free-to-play game, but player engagement quickly dwindled.
This situation highlights why developers at Microsoft-owned studios, such as Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, are unionizing to protect their jobs. They are working tirelessly to produce games that result in financial failures intertwined with progressive ideologies.
Bungie has long positioned itself as a champion for marginalized groups through its regular “X at Bungie” social initiatives, often aligning these efforts with Black History Month, Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
During these times, the studio publicly supports its LGBTQ+ gamers and gamers of color, sometimes using language that inadvertently offends Hispanic gamers with derogatory gender-neutral terms such as “Latinx.”
The future of Bungie appears uncertain. Despite Destiny 2’s thinning player base, the game’s extensive microtransactions likely still generate solid income for the studio.
However, with no updates or gameplay revealed for Marathon a year after its announcement, the studio seems to be squandering Sony’s investment.
By the time Marathon finally releases, its unique nature and visual style may lead to a commercial flop, much like Sony’s very own Concord.
