Sony Faces $560 Million Loss from Bungie Acquisition Amid Struggles with Marathon and Decline in Destiny 2

Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, just before the launch of Destiny 2’s most acclaimed expansion. Fast forward a little over four years, and the PlayStation 5 manufacturer is reporting a $560 million impairment charge for the fourth quarter of its 2025 fiscal year, which wrapped up just weeks after the debut of Marathon.

The company cited, “Recording of impairment losses against Bungie, Inc.’s intangible and other assets (Q2: 31.5 billion yen, Q4: 88.6 billion yen, FY25 total: 120.1 billion yen),” as a key factor affecting its otherwise solid performance. Overall, Sony has tallied nearly $765 million in losses related to the Bungie acquisition for the year, with the potential for further losses in fiscal year 2026.

Marathon, Bungie’s first new franchise in over a decade, launched on March 5. Two months later, Sony has yet to disclose sales figures for the extraction shooter or total player counts. Despite receiving positive feedback from both fans and critics, Marathon has struggled to maintain a spot in the top 10 most played games across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or PC.

Currently, it’s seeing between 10,000 and 15,000 concurrent players on Steam, where it has reportedly sold the majority of its copies. While this pales in comparison to Destiny 2’s past player counts, Bungie’s iconic loot shooter is also experiencing its lowest player engagement ever on Steam.

Since the acquisition, Bungie has faced several rounds of layoffs, and its former CEO, Pete Parsons, has been replaced. Fans are bracing for more potential job cuts due to Bungie’s high operational costs and the struggles of its two current live service titles.

Marathon has been experimenting with more casual-friendly modes to attract new players, but without more decisive action from Sony, it’s tough to see a significant shift in the multiplayer shooter’s momentum in the near future.

Possible strategies could include lowering the game’s $40 price point or offering a free trial weekend, which dedicated fans have been advocating for.