Destiny 2 developer Bungie revealed on July 31, 2024 that 220 employees would be losing their jobs, causing outrage among the player community and prompting calls for CEO Pete Parsons to resign.
According to an announcement titled “The New Path For Bungie,”the game studio Bungie revealed that 220 employees, roughly 17% of its staff, were being laid off. The company cited the increasing costs of development and changes in the industry, as well as the current economic conditions, as the reasons behind the job cuts.
Bungie’s CEO, Pete Parsons, has given assurance that the studio will continue producing exceptional games. He emphasized that a team of more than 850 members is dedicated to developing both Marathon and Destiny 2.
Despite this, the gaming community has not refrained from heavily criticizing the announcement. Many individuals have called for Parsons to resign from their position as CEO of the company.
Step down, Pete. https://t.co/I5d7L8kcfq
— Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy) July 31, 2024
“According to Griffith Bennett, a former Bungie employee, Pete is considered a joke.”
Despite Bungie being acquired by Sony in 2022, Parsons continued to face criticism as players uncovered evidence that the CEO had splurged over $2.3 million USD on vintage cars. The car trading website Bring A Trailer features an account under the name bngparsons, which reveals that millions of dollars have been spent by the CEO in recent years.
Bungie lays off 17% of it’s workforce… unrelated here is a list of cars the CEO has purchased on BATPlayers and workers need to support each other.https://t.co/48qToI4Cf7
— TAILORED (@boxrTailored) July 31, 2024
“Great job, Pete. What car will you be looking into next?”inquired a Twitter user in a tweet.
Another person jokingly commented that supporting your CEO’s extravagant spending on rare cars every 60 days, only to be laid off, is a very 2024 thing to do.
Despite the recent announcement of layoffs, Bungie employees have come forward in large numbers to express their disappointment. Global community lead dmg04 even went as far as calling the news “inexcusable”.
Inexcusable. Industry leading talent being lost, yet again. Accountability falling upon the workers who have pushed the needle to deliver for our community time and time again.Please maintain focus on those who’ve lost their position & income. Offer help where you can. https://t.co/SSDveUd5uW
— dmg04 (@A_dmg04) July 31, 2024
According to a statement from a player support analyst, their entire team has been laid off, as confirmed by another former employee who also mentioned the team’s dedication and long hours, despite the low pay, only to be let go in the end.
The layoff announcements have been made just two months following the tremendous success of The Final Shape, which we praised as “one of the greatest expansions ever created.”
The excitement surrounding the expansion also caused a significant increase in the number of players, almost reaching the all-time peak for Destiny 2.
This latest development comes after Bungie had previously announced a round of layoffs in October of 2023.
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