Just yesterday we received the news that a total of 375 people have to leave their positions at the Destiny studio Bungie. Of these, 220 will actually be laid off, and another 155 will find a new home at various Sony studios. The people who were fired have had clear words to say, with the studio’s CEO in particular coming under fire.
Since Bungie was acquired by Sony in 2022, numerous employees have had to resign. At the end of 2023, 100 people were fired, and yesterday the studio announced another 220 layoffs. It’s not just the community that has a problem with this approach; ex-employees are also seething with anger.
The reason is not only the layoffs themselves, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons is particularly taking a beating. The man is known to love fast and expensive cars, which is certainly financed in large part by his Bungie salary. Not a particularly charming situation.
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Former community manager Sam Bartley, for example, added in a tweet: “Coward. You did this. You chose to do this. I’m already listed as ‘do not collaborate’ in the industry and I don’t care anymore. You lied to my face. Straight up. Also, you invited me to look at your new cars two days before you fired me. Two. Fucking. Days.”
Sam represents a group of fired people who, after Bungie’s latest blog post, are fed up with keeping their mouths shut. A ton of people from PR and community management have been let go – people who have nothing to do with development. According to Parsons, the studio took on too much by producing too many games at once and mistakes were made at the highest level.
Of course, it’s nothing new that bosses screw up and the rank and file get fired. But Bungie’s former community management team was hit particularly hard, and according to many people, that’s because Parsons is a liar and only concerned with his own advantage.
But the fired developers are also being criticized. They put their heart and soul into Destiny. The terminations have nothing to do with personal performance. One pregnant woman was fired a few days before her maternity leave, another was fired while on vacation.
The Halo series was a mega hit for Bungie. We cover the developer’s entire story in our Bungie history.
