Bungie Cuts Over 290 Jobs in Latest Round of Layoffs

Earlier today, Bungie announced significant layoffs as part of its restructuring efforts. While the studio, now under Sony’s ownership, did not disclose the exact number of affected developers, a recent government filing indicates that several hundred employees are being let go.

A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) submitted to the state of Washington reveals that at least 292 individuals will be laid off from the Bellevue-based studio known for Destiny 2 and Marathon, with their last working day set for July 9. Current estimates suggest Bungie’s workforce has shrunk to around 800, down from a peak of approximately 1,300 a few years back. This implies that the studio now has around 500 or fewer employees, which is just over a third of its size when Sony acquired it for $3.6 billion.

The layoffs affected developers across various departments. John Ebenger, a former cinematics director at Bungie, shared on social media that the entire Cinematic organization was impacted. He encouraged others to reach out if they were looking to hire talented cinematics professionals. Many other affected employees took to social media and LinkedIn to express their situations, facing one of the toughest job markets in the gaming industry.

In a message to staff, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst confirmed the decision to reduce Bungie’s workforce, which included a significant portion of the Destiny team and some members of the Marathon team. He also noted that there would be reductions within SIE teams that support Bungie’s operations. Those affected were informed today.

Hulst expressed the difficulty of the news, particularly for the talented individuals whose roles were eliminated. He explained that this decision followed extensive discussions and careful consideration regarding the studio’s long-term direction, development priorities, and resource needs. After exploring various alternatives, it was determined that a reduction was necessary to align resources with current priorities and long-term goals.

Additionally, reports indicate that Bungie studio head Justin Truman has stepped down. He joined the company in 2010 as an engineering lead on the original Destiny and later became the general manager for Destiny 2. Truman took over as head of Bungie last year after the departure of CEO Pete Parsons, who had been with the company for 23 years.

These layoffs come on the heels of the official sunset of Destiny 2, which received its final update earlier this month, as Bungie shifts its focus to post-launch content for Marathon and the development of new projects.