Microsoft isn’t the only one cutting jobs; Sony’s Bungie has eliminated 220 roles, or roughly 17 percent of its workforce. The announcement was made on Bungie’s website by Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie. He cited “rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions” for the cuts, saying “it has become clear” that Bungie needed to make “substantial changes” to its cost structure. The developer will continue to focus its efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon.
While there isn’t a complete list of the roles that have been eliminated, Parsons said it will affect every level of the company, including most of Bungie’s executive and senior leader roles. Those affected by the job reduction will receive a generous exit package, including severance, bonuses, and health coverage.
Parsons also explained that Bungie is deepening its integration with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which acquired Bungie in 2022. They are working to integrate 155 of the 220 cut roles into SIE over the next few quarters, enabling them to retain a great deal of talent that would otherwise have been affected. Bungie is also working with PlayStation Studios leadership to “spin out” one of its incubation projects to form a new studio within PlayStation Studios so the project can continue development. The project is an action game set in a new science-fantasy universe.
Despite the cuts, Bungie will retain over 850 team members who are working on Destiny and Marathon. You can read more about Bungie’s job cuts here.