In November 2023, the developer of Destiny 2 shook the gaming world with the news of layoffs. Of the approximately 1,100 employees at that time, 8% had to go, and the workforce shrank to around 1,000. However, a recent job posting states that the company now employs 1,400 people.
This is the puzzling employee turnover: Bungie, the development studio behind the online shooter Destiny 2, caused great outrage in its community in 2023 with the announcement of layoffs.
- At that time, the management of the Sony developer informed employees that revenue for the current year was 45% below expectations.
- As a consequence, the release of the next DLC “The Final Shape” was postponed from February to June 2024.
- Most notably, 8% of the staff were laid off in total in 2023, which corresponds to around 100 employees, reducing Bungie’s total workforce to about 1,000.
In 2024, Bungie, however, claims to now have 1,400 employees. Players and former developers are confused and wonder: What’s going on here?
40% Increase Since Last Year’s Layoffs
Where does this information come from? The information about Bungie’s current employee count comes from a recently published job posting by the company. They are looking for a “Payroll Manager”, that is, a head for handling international payroll.
Specifically, it states:
As the Global Payroll Manager at Bungie, you will lead a comprehensive payroll function and oversee a diverse workforce of 1,400 employees in the USA, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada.
so states the Bungie job posting
Thus, Bungie would have suddenly hired 400 new employees a few months after laying off 100 employees.
What is speculated about the increase: Despite the impressive number of 1,400 employees that Bungie apparently reached in 2024 according to its job posting, there are some reservations and questions.
A closer look at the development of employee numbers raises doubts about whether the expansion is really as massive as it appears at first glance.
- Reportedly, Bungie significantly reduced the number of job openings in 2023 and removed many positions from the job board.
- The developer may have hired back in some areas but not to this extent and pace.
- It is also speculated that included in this total are some employees from subcontractors and possibly some employees from the Sony studios who are now providing support at Bungie due to shortages.
There has been no official announcement so far that other Sony studios might be joining Bungie. However, many now consider this possibility likely, as a leak had already suggested this.
This is what a design leak has revealed: A design leak published on January 19 about a “The Final Shape” exotic may indicate that Bungie is receiving external support. The leak itself has since been deleted, but there the publishing designer stated: “This model was created by the Asset Team of PlayStation Studios Malaysia.”
What kind of new positions have been created and what role they play in the development of Destiny 2 remains open.
This, however, reminds some players of the time in 2018 when Bungie was in a similar crisis and once received support from Activision’s support studios in creating content for Destiny 2. The result was Forsaken, a DLC with its seasons that many players still remember fondly. This would thus also make sense in 2023, as Bungie wants “The Final Shape” to be the best expansion they have ever made.
What does the community say about the numbers? Some do not believe in the possibility of the increase and rather suspect that the employee count was simply not updated when reposting the advertisement. Destiny player NeoAmron also believes this.
“[…] It is likely that the number in the description has not been updated since the layoffs because figures are not always updated. To be precise, Bungie did not hire many people after the layoffs.
comments NeoAmron via X.com (formerly Twitter)
Other players express their views:
- The player FinAeros says: “I have seen companies reuse job postings that were over 18 months old, so I’m actually not surprised by [this number].”
- ZacAttackLeader thinks: “[…] If you lay off experienced veteran developers (who had benefits and stock options) just to save money and then hire new ones, you deserve to be shut down. Game companies aren’t the name, but the people who work there.”
- Aksis_21 on the other hand is outraged and comments: “Then why the hell did they fire developers who have been there for over twenty years?”
While the gaming world eagerly awaits more information, the question remains unresolved whether there is contractor involvement, internal shifts, or simply an oversight.
Feel free to let us know in the comments what you think about the unexpected discrepancy in Bungie’s employee count. In 2024, Bungie will make even more announcements about Destiny 2, which are highly anticipated to assess the future of the game. The first was, for example, a quality of life change that has been overdue for 9 years: In Destiny 2, you will soon be able to undo your character design sins: “Finally, I can take off the helmet”
