Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 The New Path for Bungie Quote This morning, I’m sharing with all of you some of the most difficult changes we’ve ever had to make as a studio. Due to rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions, it has become clear that we need to make substantial changes to our cost structure and focus development efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon. That means beginning today, 220 of our roles will be eliminated, representing roughly 17% of our studio’s workforce. These actions will affect every level of the company, including most of our executive and senior leader roles. Today is a difficult and painful day, especially for our departing colleagues, all of which have made important and valuable contributions to Bungie. Our goal is to support them with the utmost care and respect. For everyone affected by this job reduction, we will be offering a generous exit package, including severance, bonus and health coverage. I realize all of this is hard news, especially following the success we have seen with The Final Shape. But as we’ve navigated the broader economic realities over the last year, and after exhausting all other mitigation options, this has become a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials. We are committing to two other major changes today that we believe will support our focus, leverage Sony’s strengths, and create new opportunities for Bungie talent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 4 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: we need to ... focus development efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon. They weren't doing this already? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 From the post, it appears that Bungie is being converted into a solely Destiny/Marathon studio with other projects being transferred to SIE itself: Quote Second, we are working with PlayStation Studios leadership to spin out one of our incubation projects – an action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe – to form a new studio within PlayStation Studios to continue its promising development. Jeff Grubb claims that this action now means that Sony has assumed full managerial/administrative control of Bungie as 155 current Bungie staff will be integrated into SIE and 75 will be transferred to a new Sony studio. Essentially, Bungie's total personnel headcount had been reduced by a third. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 9 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: They weren't doing this already? that was my thought exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 11 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: They weren't doing this already? 1 minute ago, EternallDarkness said: that was my thought exactly There was another non-Destiny/Marathon project that was in the incubator stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 I have to say I didn't realize how big the team was if 220 peeps was 17% of the workforce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 1 minute ago, EternallDarkness said: I have to say I didn't realize how big the team was if 220 peeps was 17% of the workforce Based on this data, Bungie's personnel count was around 1,300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Pete Parsons -- the Bungie CEO -- has set his Xwitter profile to private and he's absolutely being roasted by now-former Bungie employees who are squarely blaming this situation on his failure of leadership and not Sony. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 GOODBYE BUNGIE, I'LL 'MEMBER HALO 2 GOODBYE BUNGIE, I'LL 'MEMBER HALO 2 GOODBYE BUNGIE, I'LL 'MEMBER HALO 2 GOODBYE BUNGIE, I'LL REMEMBER, 'MEMBER, 'MEMBER HALO 2 I actually didn't care for Halo 2. Halo 3 is my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 With the huge overinvestment in gaming developers over the past few years, this is not unexpected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Based on this data, Bungie's personnel count was around 1,300. And that was after layoffs earlier (this year?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 2 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: And that was after layoffs earlier (this year?) Yeah - that was after the initial round of layoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 Jesus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Pete Parsons -- the Bungie CEO -- has set his Xwitter profile to private and he's absolutely being roasted by now-former Bungie employees who are squarely blaming this situation on his failure of leadership and not Sony. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets calls to step down, especially how after last year's layoffs it was reported that when asked if management would take a paycut to fight against needing to do layoffs, it was told that management said, "we don't do that here". WELL MAYBE THEY FUCKING SHOULD! I think I also heard reports of funds being misused for things like yacht parties, which if true is just infuriating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 7 minutes ago, Brick said: Wouldn't be surprised if he gets calls to step down, especially how after last year's layoffs it was reported that when asked if management would take a paycut to fight against needing to do layoffs, it was told that management said, "we don't do that here". WELL MAYBE THEY FUCKING SHOULD! I think I also heard reports of funds being misused for things like yacht parties, which if true is just infuriating. I have a feeling that his continued tenure at Bungie is going to be relatively limited, especially if Hermen Hulst has effectively assumed control as Jeff Grubb suggests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 I guess the final shape is a middle finger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Based on this data, Bungie's personnel count was around 1,300. dang! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I despise how far this company has fallen. Shameful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spawn_of_Apathy Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 So 17% lad off and 12% absorbed into roles within Sony. So Pete’s great leadership needed 2 layoffs in less than 12 months with this last needing 29% of their payroll being unloaded. I’ve been saying for a while, but Pete and whoever else over valued Bungie. Why Sony believed them, I don’t fucking know, but they were not worth anywhere near $3.6B. And Pete got a massive pay day, so he benefited greatly from scamming Sony. Unfortunately there is no justice for the employees getting scammed too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 Bungie Has Reportedly Canceled Destiny 3 'Payback' Following Layoffs DESTINYBULLETIN.COM Bungie has reportedly canceled previously rumored Destiny 3 codenamed "Payback," according to Jeff Grubb. Quote Bungie has reportedly canceled the rumored Destiny project codenamed ‘Payback,’ which many believed to be the next installment in the Destiny franchise, commonly referred to as Destiny 3. Earlier this year, speculation ran high as a leak suggested that Bungie was working on a new Destiny game under the codename ‘Payback.’ Fans eagerly anticipated the potential continuation of the popular series, hoping for new adventures and expansions within the Destiny universe. Adding to the uncertainty, credible insider Jeff Grubb revealed in today’s Game Mess Mornings that one of the projects affected by these layoffs was none other than ‘Payback.’ According to Grubb, the game, which was internally referred to as “the next Destiny” instead of “Destiny 3”, has been shelved. “What is going on the shelf is Payback. This is what was also leaked and reported to be maybe Destiny 3– technically not Destiny 3. Internally, they would refer to it as ‘the next Destiny’. I don’t know if the distinction is there, but they think there’s a distinction there. “But that is going on the shelf indefinitely, according to the people I’ve talked to. Either way, let’s be clear, a ‘Destiny 3’ or ‘next Destiny’ is just not the thing that they are going to be coming out of this looking toward let alone working on in any real way.” Destiny 2's Future Content Drops To Be Lighter And Smaller 'Content Packs' Instead Of Expansions, Insider Reveals DESTINYBULLETIN.COM Bungie reportedly shifts Destiny 2 updates to "lighter" and "smaller" content packs instead of expansions, following staff layoffs. Quote According to Grubb, Bungie remains committed to supporting Destiny 2, but players should brace themselves for a shift in the scale of content updates. The future of Destiny 2 will see "lighter" and "smaller" content drops, a significant departure from the large expansions fans have come to expect. These updates, internally referred to as "content packs," will be more streamlined and less resource-intensive. "They're going to keep making new content for Destiny 2," Grubb shared during today's Game Mess Mornings. "When it comes to Destiny 2, the expectation internally is that the future content will be lighter, smaller, to take less time than what The Final Shape did, and require fewer people." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Not surprising but it still is unfortunate. I think only @AlwaysDyingX is the guy here still playing Destiny. With 343's work on Halo Infinite I think Halo is in pretty good hands. But I do miss the Bungie of Halo 1,2, and especially 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Jeff Grubb said it so it means Destiny 3 will come out very soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkStar189 Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I always wished Bungie didn’t lock themselves into one franchise for so long. That’s what they wanted so it’s fine. But Destiny just never grabbed me and I have no interest in their product. It looks cool and the shooting probably feels great. But it’s all behind a game I’m just not into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Just now, DarkStar189 said: I always wished Bungie didn’t lock themselves into one franchise for so long. That’s what they wanted so it’s fine. But Destiny just never grabbed me and I have no interest in their product. It looks cool and the shooting probably feels great. But it’s all behind a game I’m just not into. I was pretty impressed with Destiny 2 at it's release. My twin brother and I played MANY hours of it together and had an absolute blast. I don't really remember why we fell off of it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 So uh how are they supposed to make any money if the one project they were working on that might actually make a lot of money is canceled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spawn_of_Apathy Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I was playing up until about this time last year. I fell off for a number of reasons. LightFall sucked. Felt like a soulless cash grab compared to past expansions. The prior seasons and following seasons kind of sucked. Got more grindy. then I played Diablo IV and I could feel the live service intent all through the game’s design. Then that update right before season 1 to make the game more of a grind and a slog. I immediately turned on Diablo IV. And I think it sent me over the edge. I couldn’t even tolerate Destiny for it any more. then the layoffs and all the stories on how upper management was directing the game, actively choosing to keep doubling down on boring and tired formulas even though the community and creative devs were wanting a change. Then when preorders were less than half of Lightfall and player sentiment was at an all time low, suddenly Bungie starts turning out content and features we’d been ask for for years to try and “win” players back. All while being extremely cagy on what was coming after Final Shape and leaning so heavily on nostalgia it felt manipulative and insulting. And sure enough the content after Final Shape has suuuucked. They fell right back into the bad habits, as if everything good they were doing from Jan through May was all just a show. Because of course it was. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spawn_of_Apathy Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 11 minutes ago, Dodger said: So uh how are they supposed to make any money if the one project they were working on that might actually make a lot of money is canceled? Doesn’t matter to Pete and the board that already got their massive pay day. They’re just waiting to get ousted so they get another big check. Whether Bungie is successful or not is Sony’s problem. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Please ban Grubb 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Any plans for a "Destiny 3" could probably just be integrated into Destiny 2. I hope it's not the end of big yearly expansions though. I thought the layoffs yesterday were mostly people working on other projects, and not Destiny 2, so it shouldn't affect D2 that much. Upper management though seriously needs to go. Just completely fumbling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 More "You can't cancel it if it was never being made" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 8 hours ago, Brian said: Please ban Grubb I mean, with how games usually go, I imagine you get this project finished and to executives and they say "Why is this called Payback instead of Destiny 3?" and then your spin-off is now a mainline title. I feel like that happens strangely often in gaming just to utilize the brand recognition. Like Shin Megami Tensei: Persona! (Persona games are not Shin Megami Tensei games, in case you didn't know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 I played a little Destiny in my day but never the real shit. I felt like there was something there but I wasn't willing to go all the way with it. I would prefer Bungie make something else. But unfortunately it sounds like Bungie is even less Bungie than it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Bungie Layoffs Include Senior Execs Luke Smith And Mark Noseworthy - GameSpot WWW.GAMESPOT.COM Smith and Noseworthy were reportedly working on a new game set in the Destiny universe. Not laid off, but left due to restructuring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexterryu Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 This is just the lifecycle of a Dev company... and bungie lasted far longer than most and even survived getting purchased twice. 1. Company is born, starts to make some good games. 2. Revenue from good games allows for them to make an AAAA hit (Halo). 3. They get purchased by one of the industry giants. 4. They're forced to pump out sequels for maximum profit. 5. The product gets watered down and top people leave/get fired. 6. Re-orgs/layoffs. 7. Company is a shell of itself, brand is tarnished, and gamers have lost trust. This happened to Bioware, Blizzard, Red Storm, Rare, etc... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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