Report: Ex-Bungie Staff Has No Animosity for Sony, States “Alternate History” of Sony Not Buying Bungie Would Mean Insolvency for Studio

Following the recent announcement by Bungie that they’re laying off 220 employees, some might be shifting the blame at parent company Sony who acquired Bungie back in 2022. It seems, that’s not the case, as former Bungie staffers have spoken out, and from what was shared, Sony’s acquisition was actually a good thing for the studio.

• Related Reading: Report: Bungie Faces Harsh Criticism After Layoffs, CEO Pete Parsons Under Fire for Vehicle Purchases

Speaking to veteran journalist Stephen Totilo, numerous ex-Bungie staff members who wished to remain anonymous have opened up a bit about Bungie’s predicament. While some might look at Sony’s acquisition as the driving point for the recent layoffs, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Four ex-Bungie staff members have said that they have little animosity for Sony over the job cuts, and the blame mostly falling on the management of the studio for promising unrealistic growth.

One “well-connected” former worker at Bungie claims that the alternate history where Sony doesn’t buy Bungie would be worse, stating, “The alternate history is insolvency.” For those not familiar with the term, insolvency refers to situations where a debtor cannot pay the debts they owe, which often leads to a bankruptcy filing.

The ex-studio members point the finger of blame at Bungie management who allegedly have overstated their studio’s financial prospects to Sony. One insider even thinks Sony overpaid for Bungie adding, “I think Bungie sold things they were just not able to deliver.”

According to two ex-studio members, Bungie repeatedly missed financial targets promised to Sony, and what’s more, the studio has apparently been losing money since the release of Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion back in February 2023. Speaking of Destiny 2, the ex-staff members also claim that the game’s latest expansion, The Final Shape, didn’t sell as well as Lightfall, though even if it did, it wouldn’t have stopped the layoffs from happening according to three former studio members.

Sony’s acquisition of Bungie was Sony Interactive Entertainment’s immediate foothold into the live service market, and no doubt, share its knowledgeable to the other first-party PlayStation studios.

While the ex-Bungie members weren’t named (understandably so), we’re going to go out on a limb here and trust what has been told given Totilo’s history of accurateness in reporting.

[Source: Game File (subscription required)]

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