In what has been a sad and worrying trend for the industry in recent months, more layoffs were announced this week in the gaming industry. Bungie announced layoffs to around 100 people, or 8% of its game unit staff. Along with the layoffs, Bungie has also confirmed delays for The Final Shape expansion to June 2024 from February and the studio’s new title Marathon to 2025. It was not a fun week for Bungie and the details coming out about the layoffs have only made it worse for them.
Bungie stated the layoffs were due to player sentiment in Destiny 2 hitting an all-time low, fewer than expected preorders for The Final Shape expansion, and running 45% below revenue projections. Players being frustrated with the state of Destiny 2, especially after the Lightfall expansion, is not exactly breaking news and it was made clear that those feelings had been communicated to Bungie leadership numerous times. Now it seems that employees who aren’t even involved in those decisions are the ones who paid the price. Frustrated fans are trying to figure out how best to show their frustration. Boycotting the game could lead to even more layoffs of employees, but they also don’t want to reward that same leadership with big profits.
Bungie is taking no chances with its next releases underdelivering, which is why both major efforts have been delayed. The Final Shape expansion is coming 4 months later than previously announced and Bungie will need to have some sort of content to fill that gap now. Its new multiplayer shooter Marathon is also being delayed from 2024 to 2025. According to some reports, Bungie had a pre-alpha playtest of Marathon and the gamers involved were not impressed.Obviously a game in that state has a long way to go. The feedback will be invaluable to shaping that game and the delay will give the developers time to make it better.
Bungie has lost a lot of trust from both its staff and its fans. The leaders of the studio are going to have to work hard to win back that trust. Delivering on the content they have promised and making some changes to Destiny 2 could go a very long way for both. Communication from Bungie in the coming weeks will set the tone and then it’s on them to keep that conversation going and moving in a positive way.
Image from: Bungie
