Update - October 30: Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has released a statement acknowledging the layoffs, but the reported delays to Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon are notably unmentioned. Here's the statement in full:
"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. These are truly talented people. If you have openings, I would highly recommend each and every one of them."
Original story:
Bungie has reportedly delayed Destiny 2's Final Shape expansion and its next game, Marathon, amid layoffs at the company.
That's according to a new story from Bloomberg, which cites unnamed sources familiar with the company's plans. Bungie CEO Pete Parsons reportedly broke the news today.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape has seemingly been delayed from February 2024 to June 2024. Marathon, which never had a public release date to begin with, has seemingly slipped from 2024 to 2025. The fact that Marathon was ever eyeing a 2024 release of any kind is, in and of itself, a surprise.
The layoffs, at least, have been publicly confirmed. Dozens of Bungie employees took to social media to share that they'd been laid off as part of this shake-up, with affected roles including community management, recruiting, social media, publishing producer, various artists, QA, support, and others.
These layoffs come less than a year after Bungie was acquired by Sony for $3.6 billion and, while operating independently, folded into PlayStation Studios. As we agreed in our Destiny 2 Lightfall review, the expansion that immediately followed that deal was widely regarded as one of the studio's weaker releases.
Bungie hasn't delayed a Destiny 2 expansion since The Witch Queen, which was pushed back from late 2021 to early 2022 in order to realign the studio's release schedule. If The Final Shape has indeed been delayed from February to June 2024, Destiny 2 will once again have to pad out an extra few months, which could mean another extra-long, largely empty season. How this reported delay will alter the post-Final Shape Episodes meant to replace seasons remains to be seen.
Bungie has yet to address any of this in a statement, but it seems likely that one is forthcoming given the scope of the news. I've reached out to the studio for comment and will update this story if I hear back.
Bungie is sadly only the latest in a growing line of industry layoffs. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, Dragon Age and Mass Effect studio BioWare, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog (reportedly), Epic Games (which shed a whopping 830 people), and multiple Embracer Group studios including Tomb Raider dev Crystal Dynamics have all reported layoffs this year, and even that isn't an exhaustive list.
Last week, Destiny 2 director Joe Blackburn casually announced a change for The Final Shape that players have wanted for 9 years: shader icons that actually make sense.
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