Bungie is reportedly facing layoffs, following confirmation that it will end updates for Destiny 2, and a third game in the franchise has not yet been greenlit.
That’s according to a Bloomberg report, which claims that the studio will focus on the extraction shooter Marathon in the near term, with some Destiny 2 developers already transferred to the game.
A “significant” number of layoffs are planned, it’s claimed, which will be the latest to hit the studio following its $3.6 billion sale to Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022.
“The company doesn’t have a new project lined up for Destiny 2’s development team after the game comes to an end next month,” according to the publication, and it “doesn’t plan to immediately enter production on a Destiny 3”.
Bungie’s staff are planning to pitch new projects, including in the Destiny franchise, according to sources, but none have been approved and there’s no guarantee that they will.
In an update posted on its website on Thursday, Bungie confirmed that it will release “the final live-service content update” for Destiny 2 on June 9. The news follows declining player numbers for the live service shooter, and a disappointing recent expansion.
The final update will add a “collection of love letters to players” based on the most common player requests, Bungie said, including the return of the director and other modes, and “small character beats to leave the story and characters in interesting places”.
Sony Interactive Entertainment recently reported a $765 million impairment loss related to Bungie assets, following the release of its extraction shooter Marathon. Sony has not said how the game has performed since its release earlier this year.
