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Bungie CEO responds to allegations of sexist, toxic workplace

A lengthy report alleged an ongoing environment of sexism and toxicity at Destiny developer Bungie. CEO Pete Parsons recently addressed the matter.

TJ Denzer

December 10, 2021 4:00 PM

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Among conversations surrounding the issues at Activision Blizzard, formerly Activision-published studio and currently independent Bungie was early to make a statement decrying the toxicity and harassment for which Activision Blizzard was facing severe scrutiny from both a lawsuit and the gaming industry at large. Unfortunately, Bungie seems to be facing its own problems of in-studio toxicity and abuse in a way that was recently laid out in depth. So intense were the allegations of various sources inside and close to Bungie that it forced CEO Pete Parsons to make a statement on the matter.

The statement was made in response to a lengthy report published by IGN, which told of the accounts of 26 current and former Bungie employees who had experienced a culture of toxicity, sexism, and abuse under management at Bungie. The reports featured various problematic accounts, such as mistreatment of female employees by male superiors, intense periods of crunch on certain teams, and a wealth of taken credit and virtue signaling while abusive behavior continued. It culminated in a sense of frustration among Bungie staff as the studio spoke out on Twitter against the behavior which sat at the core of allegations against Activision Blizzard.

It's our responsibility to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie at any level, and that we never excuse it or sweep it under the rug.

While the accounts in this week’s news are difficult to read, we hope they will lead to justice, awareness, and accountability.

— Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

An anonymous source in the IGN report spoke to sentiments felt by staff after Bungie leadership posted its Twitter thread in relation to Activision Blizzard.

To this report, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons made his own statement on the matter, aiming to resolidify the studio’s position on toxicity and sexism in the workplace. Parsons speaks to a number of efforts the studio has tried to make to improve conditions for employees of all backgrounds, including efforts to install diverse leadership and create various clubs to boost underrepresented groups within Bungie.

As various worker movements within gaming continue to push for representation and accountability from the leadership level, it will remain to be seen if this is the last report of this nature we see from Bungie. Stay tuned for further updates as we follow this and further stories throughout the industry.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.