In what’s already been a crazy 2023, it appears another big studio has undergone layoffs. An email sent to Bungie employees from Bungie CEO Pete Parsons indicated staff would be “hearing some news today” and that a team meeting scheduled for later would “discuss today’s events”.Jason SchreieratBloombergsaw and reported the circulating email.
As of now the exact number of employees affected by the layoffs is unknown, but Twitter is already full of Bungie employees sharing the news that they have been laid off.
“I’ve been laid off from Bungie. A surreal thing to write as I sit here pondering what went wrong. I’m still processing it all and while my first instinct is anger I know I’d regret what I’d say. Thank you to everyone at Bungie who helped make my last 5+ years the best ever.”
According toBloomberg, employees also indicated delays across the board at Bungie. UpcomingDestiny 2expansionThe Final Shapehas been pushed from February 2024 to June 2024. Also, Bungie’s next game, a sci-fi extraction shooter titledMarathonhas been delayed to 2025.
Bungie joins a huge list of studios that have cut employees this year, which has led to one of the more tumultuous waves of layoffs the industry has seen in a while. The growing list includesEpic Games,Striking Distance Studios,CD Projekt Red, multiple studios owned byEmbracer GroupincludingBeamdogandCrystal Dynamics,Ubisoft,BioWare,Relic,Riot,Firaxis,Microsoft,Twitch,Naughty Dog, andTeam17. This year has also seen the shutdown of several studios includingDang!,PixelOpus,Vanpool, andVolition Games.
