Bungie Faces Layoffs in 2023, Destiny 2 DLC Delays Announced

In an unfortunate turn of events, Destiny 2 developer Bungie has fallen victim to layoffs, joining a growing list of video game studios grappling with downsizing in 2023. The news came to light on October 30, when Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported on X/Twitter that employees at the renowned PlayStation Studios developer had been informed of the layoffs.

While the exact number of employees affected by these layoffs remains undisclosed, Bungie's CEO, Pete Parsons, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter. Parsons expressed his sadness at bidding farewell to colleagues who had made significant contributions to the studio. He highlighted the remarkable impact these individuals had on Bungie's games and culture, emphasizing that their legacy would persist at the company.

Bloomberg has additionally reported that Destiny 2's highly anticipated "The Final Shape" DLC, originally scheduled for a February 2024 release, has been pushed back to June 2024. Moreover, the release of the game "Marathon" has been delayed until 2025.

While layoffs are not uncommon in the video game industry, 2023 has proven to be a challenging year for developers, with numerous studios grappling with downsizing. Media Molecule, creator of Dreams, and F1 Manager studio Frontier Developments, both part of PlayStation Studios, experienced layoffs earlier in October. CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, has also undergone multiple rounds of layoffs as it restructures for a significant development push. Other studios, such as Epic Games, Telltale Games, and Team17, have also been significantly impacted by layoffs during the year.