Amid rocky times for Destiny 2, developer Bungie could face a total Sony takeover if goals aren't met
No pressure, Final Shape expansion.
Destiny 2 developer Bungie could potentially lose its independence under Sony in the event that it falls too far short of meeting its financial targets, a report claims.
Sony bought Bungie in a $3.6 billion deal back in early 2022. In a statement made at the time of the acquisition, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons emphasised that the studio would be retaining some independence going forwards, declaring: “We remain in charge of our destiny.”
Though, according to this new report from IGN, the company behind PlayStation reportedly has the option to dissolve Bungie’s existing board and take full control if it misses its money-making goals by certain margins. As of right now, the studio’s leadership is made up of a mixture of Sony execs and pre-acquisition Bungie head honchos.
The IGN report suggests that fear of this big change in how the studio operates potentially coming to pass may have influenced the decision made by Bungie’s current management, led by Parsons, to lay off around 100 staff members last month. In the run up to these cuts being made, those working at the studio were issued warnings about it not being on track to meet its revenue goals for this year.
Parsons reportedly alluded to poor player retention numbers for Destiny 2 following the Lightfall expansion as one of the reasons behind that trend. With the game’s next expansion, The Final Shape, having had its release pushed back from February 2024 to June, things are still looking pretty rough for it.
That’s not to mention the recent backlash to the release of a ‘Starter Pack’ DLC for Destiny 2, which numerous players accused of being “pay-to-win”, and has since been pulled from storefronts.
In addition to the layoffs, the studio has also reportedly introduced a range of other measures designed to cut costs, including enacting a hiring freeze, reducing travel budgets, refraining from giving out holiday bonuses, and pausing a number of benefits. These have reportedly contributed to a sizable dip in morale inside Bungie.
Despite a number of social and community managers having been laid off by Bungie as part of October’s layoffs, Destiny 2 has still been nominated for The Game Awards’ best community support category.