Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Ex-Staff Say Sony Rescued Bungie as Destiny 2 Live Development Ends

New testimony and reporting suggest Sony's 2022 $3.6 billion purchase likely kept the studio afloat and leaves Bungie reorganizing without a greenlit Destiny 3.

Overview

  • Destiny 2 received its final Monument of Triumph update on June 9 and has entered stasis with servers left online but no further live-content development planned.
  • Former community manager Liana Ruppert said Bungie was "below the red line" before Sony's 2022 purchase and described the $3.6 billion deal as an emergency acquisition that likely prevented studio closure.
  • Sony has reported large impairment losses tied to Bungie, with published figures reported at roughly $565 million and $765 million, and news outlets report Bungie is planning further layoffs while pitching a new non-Destiny project.
  • Players mounted a large response to the end of development, gathering more than 400,000 petition signatures and coordinating server events to call for a Destiny 3 and protest the decision.
  • The studio's troubles follow cuts in late 2023 and major layoffs in 2024 plus mixed reception to Bungie's new Marathon title, leaving employees facing more upheaval and Sony with a key decision about the studio's future.