Shortly after news broke about the end of Destiny 2's active development, it was revealed that Bungie would likely be conducting mass layoffs of Destiny 2 staff, with no sequel to the massive looter shooter on the cards. Sony has now confirmed in a blog post that the rumored Bungie layoffs are both true and somewhat more widespread than initially expected. It's currently unclear how many staff members will be losing their jobs at Bungie, but it was previously revealed that some of the team that had been working on Destiny 2 before it was shut down were moved to the development of Marathon.

According to the blog post, the Bungie layoffs will affect "a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members," and there are also some layoffs happening in the Sony Interactive Entertainment teams that support Bungie's operations. The fact that Marathon developers will also be laid off more or less confirms that the new extraction shooter has not performed nearly as well as Sony and Bungie might have hoped, and this may explain Bungie's seemingly frantic changes and updates to Marathon in response to player feedback. Sony says that the layoffs come after it "reviewed the studio's long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy," and that it explored other avenues and alternatives before pursuing layoffs.

Dear Team,

Today I want to share a difficult update regarding Bungie.

We have made the decision to reduce Bungie's workforce, affecting a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members. There are also reductions across SIE teams that support Bungie's operations. Those impacted at Bungie and within SIE are being informed today.

This is painful news, especially for talented colleagues whose roles have been eliminated. This decision was made only after extensive discussion and careful consideration, and I want to provide some context on how we arrived here. Over the past several months, together with Bungie leadership, we reviewed the studio's long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy. We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio's resources with its current priorities and long-term goals.

As Bungie recently shared in its Destiny 2 update, the studio has begun a new journey following the release of the game's final live-service content update. What Bungie has accomplished with Destiny over the past decade has been truly remarkable. The franchise has left a lasting mark on players and the industry, and everyone who contributed to its success should be proud of what they helped create.

Marathon remains an important part of our portfolio, and we will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects. While it's too early to discuss, we are encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead.

Our immediate priority is supporting affected employees through this transition. We are providing transition support and, where possible, working to identify opportunities across SIE and our global network of studios.

I want to sincerely thank every affected employee for their hard work, creativity, and contributions to Bungie, SIE, and the broader gaming community.

I know today's news is deeply difficult not only for those leaving, but for those colleagues and friends that remain. Please take the time you need to process this news and support one another.

Thank you for your resilience and continued support during this difficult time.

Hermen Hulst
CEO, Studio Business Group