Massive layoff of 100 people at Sony-affiliated game studio Bungie, likely due to destiny 2 users



Bungie , a game development company that is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) , which develops and operates the PlayStation brand, and is also known as the developer of Destiny 2, employs 100 staff members, accounting for 8% of its total workforce. Bloomberg reports that he has made the decision to fire him.

Sony's Bungie Game Unit Cut Jobs as 'Destiny 2' Popularity Waned - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-31/sony-s-bungie-game-unit-cut-jobs-as-destiny-2-popularity-waned



Report: Bungie Blames 100 Layoffs On Players Leaving Destiny 2
https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-lightfall-final-shape-bungie-layoff-ps5-1850978233

It has been reported that Bungie, known as the developer of Destiny 2, has decided to lay off an estimated 100 people from its approximately 1,200 employees in response to the loss of users of its flagship title, Destiny 2. Sources say that in the third week of October 2023, Bungie management announced that 2023 sales would be 45% lower than originally expected.

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has pointed out that Destiny 2's user disengagement is accelerating, and that the title's downloadable content, Lightfall , has been unpopular since its release. On the other hand, another downloadable content, 'The Final Shape', seems to be well received. However, since the feedback results were not very good, it seems that they are planning to postpone the release date from February 2024 to June 2024.

According to people familiar with the matter, CEO Parsons apparently told Bungie employees that the company plans to freeze salaries and employment, as well as cut costs such as travel expenses. In addition, CEO Parsons insisted that all employees must cooperate to overcome the difficult business situation, and said that he was ``determined to do whatever it takes'' to recover profits.

But then, on the morning of October 30th, a mysterious 15-minute meeting was placed on the calendars of dozens of staff members, which turned out to be part of a mass layoff by Bungie. According to internal documents obtained independently by Bloomberg, Bungie has decided to lay off approximately 8% of its employees. In addition, Bloomberg has asked Bungie for comment, but as of the time of writing, no response has been received.



A fired employee can receive at least three months' salary as severance pay. Please note that this staff reduction is part of a large-scale funding reduction plan by SIE's PlayStation division, and similar staff reductions are being implemented at game studios under the same SIE umbrella, such as Naughty Dog and Media Molecule .

Forbes reporter Paul Tassi also received information about Bungie's layoffs, saying, ``The decision to cut jobs was made directly by Bungie management, not by Sony. This does not mean that you replaced them with your own employees. Many employee benefits (other than health insurance) are only paid until the end of the month if you are fired. If you are fired on the 30th, your benefits are extended by one day. As a result of the Sony acquisition, many employees have unvested stock that they can receive based on remaining with the company for a certain number of years after the sale. However, even if you are fired, these shares will return to Bungie when you retire.'




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in Game, Posted by logu_ii