Insights into Bungie’s Recent Turbulence: Layoffs, Destiny 2, and The Final Shape

Unraveling the recent events at Bungie unveils crucial insights into the layoffs, Destiny 2, and the pivotal game expansion, The Final Shape. I’ve gathered comprehensive details to paint a clearer picture of what’s been happening and what may lie ahead, although uncertainties loom large in this shifting landscape.

Layoffs:

• Efforts were made to explore alternatives before the layoffs, denying the possibility of executive compensation cuts.
• However, post-publication, Bungie revealed that CEO and some executives previously forfeited bonuses. The impact on staff remained undisclosed until recently, leaving uncertainty about the sum forfeited.
• Although there’s no blame on Sony internally, some were told that without the Sony buyout and considering Destiny 2’s performance, the independent studio might have faced dire circumstances.
• D2 director Joe Blackburn seems to escape much of the blame among some employees for the situation.
• The expenditure on a new building and employee retention from Sony seems to have been allocated and depleted before addressing the layoffs, failing to prevent the current situation.
• The drop in player engagement/spending post-Lightfall has caused substantial damage. Employees are visibly displeased with the leadership’s decisions, expressing their frustrations in meetings.

The Final Shape:

• The delay of The Final Shape was known to some time ago. The aim is to surpass previous expansions like Forsaken and The Taken King. The delay intends to refine the current feedback to ensure the quality matches the studio’s expectations.
• Reports suggest that The Final Shape’s current state is solid, but there are concerns about potential crunch even with a delay to achieve further enhancements.

Destiny Overall:

• Certain aspects, like the PvP Strike team, felt the impact of layoffs. However, progress on the map pack remains ongoing. There’s no clear indication of significant alterations to long-term Destiny 2 plans yet.
• Regarding in-game LFG and microtransactions, there have been technical and developmental challenges. Despite discussions to reduce microtransactions, their necessity for the game’s operation remains a prevailing argument.
• The ultimate goal for Bungie is to become a multi-IP studio, although there are no plans for a massive migration from the Destiny team, even if new IPs succeed.

The overall mood at Bungie is a mix of anger, sadness, and fear. Anger and sadness stemming from layoffs and uncertainties, with a prevailing hope for exciting content in The Final Shape.

In conclusion, the fate of Destiny seems heavily tied to The Final Shape’s success. The challenge lies in recovering playerbase and revenue losses, while new IPs like Marathon must meet expectations.