It was already assumed that layoffs of 220 workers that hit Destiny 2 developer Bungie were a result of executive mismanagement, but now there are insider reports from Game File that further paint a picture of a studio that, according to one source, “sold things they were just not able to deliver.”
While the feeling of incoming job cuts was already weighing on the minds of employees, insiders claim that the Final Shape expansion didn’t sell nearly as well as Lightfall, despite the former receiving critical acclaim – and even if it did, blockbuster sales would not have been enough to stop the studio from running in the red.
In addition, Bungie leadership was overstating its financial prospects to Sony, resulting in the job cuts and game cancellations that “amounted to an ongoing reality check” against constant financial losses; recall that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons laid some of the blame on “broader economic realities” – all while he reportedly bought up millions of dollars’ worth of classic cars.
As bad as all of this reads, one of the sources claimed that things could have been worse: According to them, if Sony hadn’t acquired the studio when it did, “the alternate history is insolvency.” Still, this all paints a significantly more grim picture than first reported.
