The fate of Destiny 2’s dismissed community support team reads like a captivating adventure. Still marked by their layoffs, the fired team now experiences an unexpected twist: a nomination for outstanding achievements at the Game Awards 2023. MeinMMO tells you how the dismissed employees and the community reacted to this nomination.
A nomination as a tragic tribute: On October 30th, Bungie surprised the gaming community with an unexpected announcement.
- About 100 employees had to be “laid off due to a significant decline in popularity”.
- Among them many from the support area, who have been known in the community for years. Such as community manager Liana Ruppert, her German colleague Timon, and the social media lead for Destiny 2 Griffin Bennett.
This decision by Bungie’s management hit players hard and left deep marks on the already strained Guardian soul. The result was mass cancellations of the upcoming Destiny DLC “The Final Shape”.
But just a few weeks later, the ironic twist follows.
The community support team of Destiny 2, to which most of the dismissed employees belonged, is officially nominated at the Game Awards 2023 in the category “Best Community Support”. If they win, they could thus be recognized as the best in the world.
The identity of Destiny 2 was the community support
A story of highs and lows: The employee layoffs and the recent nomination of Bungie’s community support team for the Game Awards 2023 could not be more emotional.
- The community support team was not just a group of employees for Destiny 2, but an essential part of the game’s identity.
- The community managers, led by Liana Ruppert and German community manager Timon, represented communication, caring, and commitment. Griffin Bennett, as social media lead, gave the game a voice on social media.
The community support and especially the well-known faces have always had a significant influence on communication between developers and players in the past. They have tried to communicate on equal terms with the players. Therefore, the nomination of the dismissed employees is a mix of irony, bitterness, and hope.
Thus, former community manager Liana Ruppert expressed herself via Twitter/X:
Although the timing of this nomination could not be more ironic, I will scream until the day I die that the group I had the privilege to work with is among the best in the industry. If Destiny wins, I will celebrate THEM, the people, and the community support team. They are absolute legends.
wrote Liana on her Twitter/X account
[And] as a team that asked for more and not less people, I want to say that Cozmo, Bruno, Ivan, and Timon advocate for players in a way you will never experience. Due to their care and knowledge, so many poor decisions were diverted and good decisions amplified.
Griffin Bennett on the other hand sounded less enthusiastic. He tweeted: “A reminder that the quality of your work doesn’t matter. In the end, you are just a number.”
The majority of Destiny 2 players, however, consider the nomination to be a bad joke.
“This is a joke, right?”
Mixed opinions from the Destiny community: For some Destiny players, this nomination is bittersweet humor. Some also hardly understand the occurrences.
A large part of the comments on the nomination wonders if this is not “the joke of the century”.
- The player MJ for example asks the Game Awards regarding the nomination of Destiny 2 “Who the hell thought this was a good idea?”
It should be noted, however: The nominated candidates were already selected before the layoffs at Bungie. But even with this knowledge, players suggest boycotting the vote for Destiny 2 and therefore Bungie.
- JKE goes even further and comments: “It’s pretty bad how Bungie could even be nominated after what they did to [the community employees] and others… I hope they lose.”
But not everyone thinks so. Some players also support the nomination as a late but deserved recognition for a community team that has always been under pressure in Destiny 2 and faced the greatest hostilities.
- Voreo Sabrae accordingly notes: “Those who remained and those who were fairly laid off deserved it. They wanted to listen to us.”
- Ron.J.Mayorga writes: “Bungie strives to listen, although in the end, those responsible care more about money than the product and the consumer.”
Here’s how you can participate in the Game Awards voting: Whether Bungie will receive this award for supporting the community is still undecided. Especially since it is up against strong competition like Baldur’s Gate 3 or No Man’s Sky.
You can also still vote on the Game Awards website to decide whether you want to honor the dismissed Destiny 2 community support team or not.
The winners will be announced on December 7th.
Before you vote, we would appreciate it if you could let us know in the comments why you decided for or against voting for Destiny 2.
For those who want to take a closer look at the future of Destiny 2, we recommend our article on the upcoming Season 23, which starts on November 28th: Destiny 2 unveils its biggest secret with Season 23 – All about “Season of Wishes”
