Sony PlayStation’s studios have been subject to layoffs one after the other, with the Destiny 2 developers, Bungie, being the latest addition to the pile. The scope of the unfortunate news is still uncertain, but it is definitely a mass layoff that will impact many employees who are working at Bungie. Developers working at other Sony studios like Naughty Dog, Visual Arts, and Media Molecule previously got hit by mass layoffs as well.
According to Jason Schreier, Pete Parsons, the CEO of Bungie, emailed employees that a company-wide meeting would take place on Monday to discuss “some news today coming out of Bungie.”
Another Sony PlayStation Studio, Bungie, Making Layoffs
Although how many people were laid off is still not known right now, according to social media, it seems that community managers have lost their jobs at Bungie. The staff cuts still aren’t over for now, as some are still being contacted and informed of their removal from the company.
One such employee who was fired was Liana Ruppert, who, just a little while before receiving the news, tweeted about it. She said that it was an extremely harrowing experience to expect the call at any time during the mass layoff.
Bungie has not come out with an official statement for now. But everyone who has lost their job has taken to social media to inform others of their unfortunate situation and help find other positions in the industry. This seems to have come as a surprise to everyone affected.
Why Sony has opted for this approach is a complete mystery so far. Since this trend has hit more than one Sony studio, it seems it is a top-down undertaking. Anyone at Sony who has been attached to projects that haven’t panned out has been in the crosshairs for a while. Naughty Dog’s Factions was internally canned a few months ago when Bungie reviewed the game. And some of the workers that had been on the project had been removed soon after.
This mass layoff trend is not limited to PlayStation, as Microsoft had its own round of staff cuts earlier this year, mainly at Bethesda. Our hearts go out to all the people who have lost their jobs as part of this cost-cutting measure in the industry.
As for how this will affect consumers, not much can be said so soon. Destiny 2 should continue to function as it has in the past. But as for the future, no one can really say.
