The US journalist Paul Tassi has been covering the online shooter Destiny 2 and Bungie for Forbes for years. Now he gives an insight into the current mood in the studio and what they think about the idea of developing a Destiny 3.
Where does the report come from? The insider report comes from Paul Tassi at Forbes. He says: The layoffs at Bungie were conducted so brutally and heartlessly that many employees are now willing to speak to the press. The atmosphere is extremely bad.
Layoffs in the style of an investment bank
What made the layoffs so harsh? Tassi writes:
The layoffs took place in the style of an investment bank: They locked employees out of their emails, accounts, and systems. People were fired and were told not to say anything, and in some cases, they were not even given the opportunity to say goodbye to colleagues and friends.
Especially because Bungie promotes a familial culture, the layoffs hit many particularly hard. When one out of ten friends suddenly disappears, it’s a heavy blow to morale.
Additionally, employees lost their shares in Bungie, which they received as part of the Sony acquisition, because, to secure those shares, they would have had to remain at Bungie longer. The dismissal leads to shares returning to the very company that expelled them.
Lightfall was supposed to be a low point for Destiny 2:
Bosses do not heed the developers’ requests
This is the mood in the studio: According to Tassi, many employees are dissatisfied with the management, who only now realize what the developers had been telling them for a long time: Destiny 2 has many problems that need to be urgently addressed.
Evidently, the 2023 expansion Lightfall was a negative turning point for Destiny 2: While the initial sales figures were strong, players were very dissatisfied with the expansion. The negative atmosphere persisted throughout 2023, and player engagement fell sharply.
Employees were repeatedly told that player satisfaction was at an all-time low – exactly what the employees had already explained to the bosses for a long time and requested to be allowed to make some changes that would bring players back. Many of the suggestions were rejected.
The situation is exacerbated by the strong gaming year 2023 with very strong games like Baldur’s Gate 3, which also consume a lot of gaming time.
People are being laid off while a new headquarters is being built
What particularly annoys employees? Many employees are dissatisfied with the decision that Bungie is establishing a new massive headquarters in Bellevue (via bungie), which is expected to cost several tens of millions of dollars while Bungie simultaneously promotes itself as a pioneer in “home-office” practices.
Pre-sales for “The Final Shape” are weak
What are the future prospects? According to Tassi, the next Destiny expansion “The Final Shape” is considered “good, but not great.” Pre-orders are low. Therefore, they want to give the expansion four more months of development time. IGN and Bloomberg reported this, but Bungie itself has not confirmed it yet.
Marathon is also being postponed to 2025. It has to become a big hit for Bungie to have a new source of revenue alongside Destiny 2. However, the game currently looks “a bit rough”.
The future prospects for Destiny 2 look extremely negative to Tassi: If Bungie extends the current season 23 by 6-7 months out of necessity, it would only lower morale further, and it is already at an all-time low. According to Tassi, many fans would cancel their pre-orders for Final Shape – and the expansion is already considered by many as “The End of Destiny,” no matter what Bungie claims or still plans.
What is the situation with Destiny 3? Tassi writes that many in the industry believe that Bungie should now make a switch and start working on Destiny 3 instead of endlessly tinkering with Destiny 2.
However, there are absolutely no signs from Bungie that they are considering this.
According to Tassi, the situation at Bungie is currently terrible for all involved.
