{"id":4338,"date":"2026-05-23T11:39:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/?p=4338"},"modified":"2026-05-23T11:40:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:40:38","slug":"bungie-layoffs-destiny-3-not-in-development-destiny-2-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/bungie-layoffs-destiny-3-not-in-development-destiny-2-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Bungie Plans Major Layoffs as Destiny 3 Is Not in Production and Destiny 2 Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bloomberg reports that Bungie is planning significant layoffs following the end of Destiny 2 development. Destiny 3 is not in production, no new project has been greenlit, and the studio&#8217;s sole focus shifts to Marathon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bungie is ending active development on Destiny 2 with a final update on June 9, 2026, and significant layoffs are expected to follow. According to a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier published on May 21, 2026, the studio has no new project lined up for its Destiny 2 development team, does not plan to immediately begin production on Destiny 3, and will focus its remaining resources on the extraction shooter Marathon. With the studio&#8217;s workforce already down to roughly 850 employees after years of cuts, this next round could reshape Bungie dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does the Bloomberg Report Reveal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jason Schreier&#8217;s report, citing multiple sources inside Bungie who were not authorized to speak publicly, paints a stark picture of the studio&#8217;s near future. The key findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bungie has no new project assigned to the Destiny 2 development team once the final update ships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The studio does not plan to immediately enter production on Destiny 3.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The exact number of planned layoffs is currently unknown.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Staff members are pitching and prototyping new projects, including ones within the Destiny franchise, but none have been greenlit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some Destiny 2 developers have already been transferred to Marathon in recent months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report specifically states: &#8220;Bungie&#8217;s staff are looking to pitch and begin development of new projects, including in the Destiny franchise, but none have been greenlit and there&#8217;s no guarantee that any will move forward in a challenging market that has led companies like Sony to raise prices and cut costs.&#8221; This language suggests the decision sits firmly with Sony, not Bungie&#8217;s internal teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Is Destiny 2 Coming to an End?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bungie confirmed on its official site that the June 9, 2026 update, titled Monument of Triumph, will be Destiny 2&#8217;s final live-service content update. The game launched in 2017 and has been sustained through expansions, seasons, raids, and major story arcs for nearly a decade. While active development is concluding, Bungie has promised that Destiny 2 will remain online and playable, much like the original Destiny still is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final update is substantial, functioning as a farewell package for the community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monument of Triumph:<\/strong> A celebration event spanning the game&#8217;s entire history.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pantheon 2.0:<\/strong> A permanent addition with new boss encounters launching in waves from June 9 through June 16.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Raid and dungeon overhauls:<\/strong> All raid and dungeon weapons and armour revisited to modern standards with full tier parity and new perks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sparrow Racing League (SRL):<\/strong> Returning as a permanent mode with tracks from the original Destiny and a new racing space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>True Exotic Armour Transmog:<\/strong> Players can apply legendary ornaments to exotic armour pieces in PvE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All content packs bundled:<\/strong> Campaigns, dungeon keys, and the 30th Anniversary Pack available as a single purchase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sandbox changes:<\/strong> New subclass aspects, grenades, class abilities, and a complete rework of Well of Radiance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seasonal events are being retired, but weapon rewards from Festival of the Lost, The Dawning, Guardian Games, and Solstice will be earnable through engrams on the Monument of Triumph vendor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Happened to the Destiny 3 Rumours?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In November 2025, Colony Deaks, a well-known Destiny-focused leaker with a strong track record, claimed that Destiny 3 was in &#8220;extremely early development.&#8221; This leak gave the community genuine hope that Bungie was preparing to move beyond Destiny 2 with a full sequel. Multiple outlets, including KitGuru, Tweaktown, and G2A News, covered the leak, noting that it would represent a shift from Bungie&#8217;s original plan to keep Destiny 2 running indefinitely like World of Warcraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bloomberg&#8217;s May 2026 report contradicts those rumours directly. Whatever early work may have existed, Bungie does not currently plan to enter Destiny 3 production. The leaks from late 2025 may have reflected internal discussions or prototypes that never progressed to a greenlit project. The financial reality of Sony&#8217;s situation appears to have closed that door, at least for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bungie&#8217;s Layoff History: A Pattern of Contraction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The upcoming layoffs will mark the third major round of workforce reductions at Bungie since late 2023. The studio&#8217;s headcount has dropped precipitously:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>October 2023:<\/strong> Approximately 100 employees laid off (roughly 8% of staff). Bloomberg attributed this to Destiny 2 revenue falling 45% below internal projections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>July 2024:<\/strong> 220 employees laid off (17% of staff), plus 155 employees transferred to Sony Interactive Entertainment. One incubation team was spun off into a new PlayStation Studios entity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>May 2026:<\/strong> A new round of &#8220;significant&#8221; layoffs planned. The exact number is unknown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From a peak of approximately 1,600 employees in mid-2023, Bungie shrank to around 850 by the end of 2024, a reduction of nearly 47% in roughly one year. The upcoming layoffs will push that figure even lower, likely leaving the studio focused almost exclusively on Marathon with a significantly smaller team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sony&#8217;s $765 Million Bungie Write-Down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, its largest gaming investment at the time. The return on that investment has been deeply disappointing. During the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, Sony&#8217;s Game and Network Services segment recorded a total impairment loss of $765 million against Bungie&#8217;s assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This came in two waves: a $204.2 million charge in Q2 tied directly to Destiny 2&#8217;s underperformance, and a much larger $565 million charge in Q4 coinciding with Marathon&#8217;s launch window. While Sony has stated it does not expect further significant impairment losses from Bungie in the next fiscal year, the write-down represents a staggering acknowledgement that Bungie is worth far less than what Sony paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is important to note that impairment losses are non-cash accounting adjustments reflecting a reassessment of asset value, not a direct cash loss. However, they signal that Sony&#8217;s internal projections for Bungie&#8217;s revenue-generating potential have been revised drastically downward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marathon&#8217;s Underwhelming Launch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marathon, Bungie&#8217;s extraction shooter and its first new IP in over a decade, launched on March 5, 2026 at a $40 price point. Analyst estimates from Alinea Analytics placed total sales at roughly 1.2 million copies across all platforms as of April 2026, with nearly 70% of sales on PC. PlayStation 5 accounted for under 20% of the player base, a notably low share for a first-party Sony title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a reported production budget exceeding $250 million, the estimated gross revenue of $55 to $80 million falls far short of break-even. On Steam, Marathon&#8217;s concurrent player count has hovered between 10,000 and 15,000. The game has not broken into the PS5 or Xbox top ten charts. Industry analysts have pointed to the $40 price tag and the niche appeal of the extraction shooter genre as significant barriers to broader adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite this, Sony publicly stated its continued support for Marathon during its most recent earnings call. The game&#8217;s Season 2, titled Nightfall, is set to begin on June 2, introducing a new zone, a new Runner shell, new weapons, and faster faction progression. Bungie is clearly treating Marathon as its lifeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pete Parsons Era and Its Aftermath<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of Bungie&#8217;s current crisis traces back to decisions made under former CEO Pete Parsons. According to reporting from Bloomberg and GamesIndustry.biz, Parsons pursued an aggressively ambitious strategy after the Sony acquisition, aiming to run three simultaneous franchises. The studio expanded rapidly, setting up multiple incubation teams for new projects while simultaneously managing Destiny 2 and developing Marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strategy backfired. Development costs ballooned, Marathon suffered repeated delays (originally expected to launch far earlier, it was pushed to March 2026), and Destiny 2 revenue declined sharply. Parsons departed Bungie in 2025, and Sony CEO Hermen Hulst reportedly took a more direct oversight role at the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Destiny 2 Players Should Know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the millions who have played Destiny 2 over the past nine years, here is what the current situation means in practical terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Destiny 2 remains online.<\/strong> You can continue to log in, play raids, run dungeons, and access all content after June 9.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No new content after June 9.<\/strong> The Monument of Triumph update is the final content drop. No more seasons, expansions, or live events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Server maintenance continues.<\/strong> Bungie has committed to keeping the game in a playable state, similar to the original Destiny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&#8220;This Week in Destiny&#8221; updates will wind down.<\/strong> Regular community communications will significantly slow after the final update.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All content packs bundled.<\/strong> New and returning players can buy everything in one package starting June 9.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Comes Next for Bungie?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bungie&#8217;s immediate future revolves entirely around Marathon. The studio needs the extraction shooter to grow its player base substantially to justify Sony&#8217;s continued investment. Some industry observers believe Sony is giving Bungie a window of six months to a year to turn Marathon&#8217;s fortunes around before making further structural decisions about the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Destiny franchise is not officially dead. Bungie staff are pitching projects within the Destiny universe, and the studio&#8217;s farewell message for Destiny 2 included the phrase &#8220;we&#8217;ve reached the time for our shared worlds and Destiny to live beyond Destiny 2.&#8221; Whether that language is meaningful or purely ceremonial remains to be seen. Without a greenlit project, the franchise exists only as an idea on a whiteboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From its peak as a 1,600-person studio with one of gaming&#8217;s most iconic shooter franchises, Bungie now faces the prospect of becoming a much smaller operation focused on a single game that has yet to prove its commercial viability. The creators of Halo and Destiny are at the most critical juncture in their 35-year history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Questions Players Are Asking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will Destiny 2 shut down completely?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Bungie has confirmed Destiny 2 will remain online and playable after June 9, 2026. However, no new content updates, expansions, or seasons will be released. The game enters maintenance mode, similar to the original Destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Destiny 3 ever going to happen?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no confirmed Destiny 3 project. Bloomberg&#8217;s report states Bungie does not plan to immediately enter production on Destiny 3. Staff are pitching Destiny-related projects internally, but none have been approved. Any potential Destiny sequel would be years away at the earliest, if it happens at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many Bungie employees will be laid off?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exact number has not been disclosed. Bloomberg describes the planned layoffs as &#8220;significant.&#8221; With roughly 800 employees remaining and the Destiny 2 development team no longer having a project, the affected headcount could be substantial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Could Bungie shut down entirely?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sony has publicly committed to supporting Marathon. A full studio closure does not appear imminent. However, if Marathon fails to grow its player base meaningfully, further downsizing or restructuring remains a possibility. The studio&#8217;s long-term survival likely depends on Marathon&#8217;s performance over the next six to twelve months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to the November 2025 Destiny 3 leak?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colony Deaks, a respected Destiny leaker, claimed in November 2025 that Destiny 3 was in &#8220;extremely early development.&#8221; Bloomberg&#8217;s May 2026 report contradicts this, stating no Destiny 3 production is planned. Whatever internal prototyping or discussions occurred have not resulted in a greenlit project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bloomberg reports that Bungie is planning significant layoffs following the end of Destiny 2 development. Destiny 3 is not in production, no new project has been greenlit, and the studio&#8217;s sole focus shifts to Marathon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4340,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4338\/revisions\/4340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}