Bungie is cutting a significant number of jobs after ending development on its long-running online shooter Destiny 2. (Bungie Image)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with details from the Washington State Employment Security Department.
Bungie, the Bellevue, Wash.-based creator of the Halo and Destiny video game franchises, was hit by a new round of layoffs Wednesday as the Sony-owned studio undergoes a reorganization following the end of development on its long-running online shooter Destiny 2.
In an email to Sony Interactive Entertainment employees, Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony’s Studio Business Group, said the company is cutting “a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members.”
Later on Thursday, a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing with the Washington State Employment Security Department put the number of Bungie job losses in Bellevue at 292. The effective separation date is July 9.
The WARN notice listed a variety of impacted job titles, including artists, engineers, producers, designers, technical animators, audio leads, and more. The cuts also extend to Sony teams that support Bungie’s operations.
In a statement posted on Bluesky, Bungie said that “Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years” and that with “future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size.”
Bungie has now cut more than 600 jobs across three rounds of layoffs since Sony acquired the studio for $3.6 billion in 2022. The company cut roughly 100 jobs in October 2023 and another 220 in July 2024, when 155 additional roles were also transferred to Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The studio had more than 1,400 employees before the cuts began.
Hulst said in his email that Marathon “remains an important part of our portfolio” and that the company is working on “incubation efforts for future projects,” but offered no specifics.
