Bungie Acknowledges ‘Difficult' Week in First Statement Since Layoffs

ign.com:

Following layoffs a few days ago, Bungie has published a statement about the "difficult" week the studio had as the developer alludes to some of its plans moving forward.

"This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history, as we’ve parted ways with people we respect and admire," the blog post begins, addressing the layoffs that affected roughly 100 employees. "We’ve spent this week supporting one another, including those who are at the studio, as well as friends and colleagues who no longer are."

The team also acknowledged that it has lost "a lot of [its fans] trust," noting that it recognizes the concerns and feedback players have shared regarding Destiny 2 and the mixed reception to the Lightfall expansion.

"We know we have lost a lot of your trust," Bungie wrote. "Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven't done this enough and that's going to change."

The blog post comes following an IGN report earlier this week, where employees told us that Destiny 2 player sentiment was at an all-time low, with employees flagging multiple times to leadership that critical changes were to be made to win players back.

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons told employees that the layoffs were due to Destiny 2's underperformance over the last year, as well as the lower-than-expected reorders for The Final Shape expansion. In an internal town hall meeting, IGN learned that Parsons told remaining employees that it had kept "the right people" to continue developing post-launch content for Destiny 2.

IGN also previously confirmed that The Final Shape has been delayed to June 2024, while Marathon has been internally delayed to 2025; today's blog post does not acknowledge either. The Final Shape was previously set for Feb. 27, 2024.