Amidst a big round of sudden layoffs, Bungie has admitted that Destiny 2 is underperforming and is losing players. Yesterday, a number of long-time employees expressed their shock over their forced departures and revealed that they were told Destiny 2’s dwindling player count was the main reason behind the cost-cutting exercise.
Destiny 2 devs reportedly begged to make changes to win players back
IGN and Bloomberg spoke to a number of current and former employees, who revealed that they saw the writing on the wall and “begged” Bungie’s management to make certain changes to win Destiny 2 players back. The game has been sharply criticized over its handling of paid content and updates, so this revelation doesn’t come as a shock to players.
Some quickly blamed parent company Sony — who has been shedding staff at various PlayStation Studios — for the layoffs, but Bungie sources have told publications that SIE was not involved in these cuts.
Meanwhile, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has come under fire for what many say is a tone deaf Twitter statement about the layoffs. Parsons said it was a “sad day” at Bungie as the company said goodbye to “exceptional individuals,” with people reminding him that this all falls on him.
Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio. What these exceptional individuals have contributed to our games and Bungie culture has been enormous and will continue to be a part of Bungie long into the future.— pete parsons (@pparsons) October 30, 2023