Anyone watching the situation around Bungie might be worried as a fan. The former flagship of the developers, Destiny 2, has been shut down, the new one is lagging behind, and now, according to an insider, another catastrophe awaits the studio – it doesn’t look good.
What have I missed? A lot has happened at Bungie in recent days, and if you haven’t caught everything, we’ll fill you in:
- Destiny 2, the developers’ more successful game, is being shut down – you will no longer receive new content updates, DLCs, or seasons. The shooter will go into maintenance mode, like its predecessor. You will still be able to play it.
- Bungie released a final update for the loot shooter, which was a great success – over 100,000 players dove into the adventure on Steam to say goodbye.
- Meanwhile, Marathon, the current “flagship” of the developers, is struggling with new player numbers. Despite its free week, it was unable to sustainably increase its numbers.
For many fans, the question now arises as to the future of the studio. To survive in the industry, Bungie needs a source to earn money sustainably, and with Destiny 2 being laid to rest, all the pressure is now on Marathon. However, the numbers do not paint a good picture, and if you believe an insider on X, the studio might be facing a major catastrophe.
50% of the team might have to face the music
What does the insider predict for Bungie? This insider is Sylvain Trinel, a French journalist for the news service BFM TV, equivalent to CNN. Sylvain, a big fan of Bungie and Destiny himself, believes Bungie will soon face massive layoffs. He expresses this cautiously, but according to the sources he trusts, up to 50 % of the team could be affected, he reports on X.com:
“And as if that weren’t enough, Bungie expects to face massive layoffs this summer. Although I am cautious, I hear that after the end of Destiny 2 and the situation with Marathon, at least 50% of the workforce (permanent staff and temporary workers) will be affected.”
Neither Sony nor Bungie have commented on these claims, but, if you follow the situation around the studio, this step doesn’t seem entirely unlikely. Destiny 2 is history and can no longer serve as the main source for sustainable revenue.
Marathon on one side is also struggling to establish itself in the market. The over 80,000 players alone on Steam at launch have not returned despite the new Season 2 (Source: steamdb.info). A free week to attract new potential customers also failed, as the current peak player numbers on Steam are around 12,000 players.
In comparison, player numbers in Destiny 2 are flourishing (Source: steamdb.info) and that just a week after the release of the last update. Around 120,000 still storm the servers to greet Zavala. Just from these facts, it cannot look good for Bungie, and it is only a matter of time before the studio has to face the consequences.
What the future holds for Bungie is uncertain. If the studio were to actually halve, one would have to ask what plan Sony is pursuing? Will Bungie still be able to operate as a studio? Will there be further games from the developers? Or should the small team just focus on Marathon? What do you think about the insider’s claim? Do you believe Bungie is facing a major catastrophe? Let us know in the comments! You can find more about Destiny 2 here: Insider reveals: Only thanks to Sony is Destiny not already buried in 2022
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