Destiny 2 developer Bungie has announced plans to lay off 220 staff, integrate 155 of its remaining job roles into Sony Interactive entertainment, and pass work on one of its “incubation projects” to a freshly formed PlayStation Studio.
This shift is laid out in a new blog post penned by Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, who called it “the most difficult changes we’ve ever had to make as a studio”. “Due to rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions,” he continued, “it has become clear that we need to make substantial changes to our cost structure and focus development efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon.”
The 220 staff being laid off amount to “roughly 17%” of the studio’s workforce, with Parsons stating that they’ll include “executive and senior leader roles”. “Today is a difficult and painful day, especially for our departing colleagues, all of which have made important and valuable contributions to Bungie,” he added, “Our goal is to support them with the utmost care and respect. For everyone affected by this job reduction, we will be offering a generous exit package, including severance, bonus and health coverage.”