The last two years have been absolutely brutal in terms of video game industry layoffs, with even the biggest studios suffering losses, and some closing up shop for good. Earlier this week, Bungie announced that it would be undergoing its own round of layoffs, with 220 developers (around 17% of the company’s total workforce) being affected. Interestingly, there was also mention of structural and organizational changes, as well as a new IP under the PlayStation Studios banner, but these announcements have been playing second fiddle compared to something a bit juicier.
As reported by Kotaku, former Bungie devs and casual internet sleuths began flocking to Twitter to voice their frustration and ire toward Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. Several former employees specifically called out Parsons for his poor leadership and use of company funds, with VFX artist Ben Platnick going so far as to say that Pete “needs to [expletive] go. This is mismanagement at the highest level. Who knew spending on R&D while destiny was not doing the best would prove to be a money pit with no return. And my friends suffer because of it.“
Unsurprisingly, the vitriol did not end here. It didn’t take long for the focus to shift over to Pete’s spending habits — specifically, the millions of dollars he’s spent on cars. As Kotaku details, Parsons has purchased over 20 classic cars in the last two years, following the $3.6 billion sale of Bungie to Sony. Worse yet, auction records show that he continued to purchase vehicles (plural) after Bungie underwent a series of layoffs last October, which affected around 100 members of staff.
For those who want to follow the numbers themselves, you can see a full list of Parsons’ purchases over on Bring A Trailer, but here’s a bit of a rundown for those who don’t want to crunch the numbers themselves. From September 2022 through June 2024, Parsons spent just over $2.4 million on 25 vehicles (a mix of classic cars and a few motorcycles), with two Porsches and one Shelby Mustang GT500 costing over $200,000 each.
Now, it should be noted that, while Parsons isn’t accused of doing anything illegal (his expensive purchases coincide with the acquisition of Bungie by Sony, which likely meant a big payout for company execs), many are honing in on just how tone-deaf his actions have been over the past year. One former Bungie employee specifically called out Parsons for inviting them to check out some of his newly purchased cars days before they were laid off.
As someone who’s been laid off twice from game development positions over the past year, I can understand the frustration felt by Bungie fans and former employees alike. At the end of the day, most game developers are putting their financial future and stability in the hands of the execs who run the studio, and it’s incredibly disheartening to watch bad decision after bad decision being made, only to culminate in failure and firings.
On a personal note: while I’m on the fence about publicly shaming someone for their buying habits, it’s hard not to shake one’s head at the lack of awareness on Pete’s part, and when you begin to look at how other employees have criticized him for his leadership decisions, it’s easy to understand all the anger and frustration that’s been directed towards him.
With Parsons having locked down his Twitter account, it might be a while before we hear from him, but in the meantime, at least we can enjoy some of the memes.
