Video game developer Bungie announced a significant layoff Wednesday morning. According to the studio’s announcement, the studio will be letting go around 17% of their workforce, or over 220 people. This is Bungie’s second major layoff in months following their previous cuts back in October 2023.
According to Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, the reasonings for these recent cuts are due to a multitude of reasons, including the erratic industry economy, overly ambitious projects, and Bungies integration with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
“…Bungie will continue to make great games. We still have over 850 team members building Destiny and Marathon, and we will continue to build amazing experiences that exceed our players’ expectations.” read the announcement.
“There will be a time to talk about our goals and projects, but today is not that day. Today, our focus is on supporting our people.” It continued.
Workers affected by the layoffs turned to social media to express their disappointment at the turn of events. Additionally, fans of Bungie and others within the game industry were quick to voice their frustrations at the irresponsible business decisions they believe are undergoing at Bungie, with many taking aim at Parsons himself, with some even wanting him to step down from his role.
Bungie is the latest developer in July to layoff workers. With more developers seemingly on the verge of falling into Bungie’s footsteps many workers within the industry are increasing efforts to unionize.