Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Terrible news has hit employees at Bungie as the studio has announced it will be laying off 220 employees, representing 17 percent of the company. This comes after a significant round of layoffs at the Destiny 2 developer last fall.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced the mass layoffs in an open letter this morning. He clarifies that the layoffs will impact employees at every level at Bungie, including “most of our executive and senior leader roles.”
Parsons parroted a common talking point among CEOs in layoff statements when he cited shifting industry trends and economic headwinds as the cause for the layoffs. He also announced that Bungie will integrate 155 employees, or 12 percent of the company, into roles at Sony Interactive Entertainment. A new studio composed of existing Bungie employees is being created within PlayStation Studios to continue work on an incubation project described as “an action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe.”
Bungie conducted a round of layoffs last October that saw much of its social and community teams gutted. This is the latest in a long stretch of layoffs across the gaming industry over the past couple of years, something that has spurred unionization efforts at several companies.