Bungie Still Hiring After Mass Layoffs

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Bungie Still Hiring After Mass Layoffs

Highlights

  • Bungie seems to still hiring after the mass layoffs at the end of July.
  • While many people were laid off, some roles will be integrated with Sony to prevent further redundancies.

As a long-time fan of Bungie and Destiny 2, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions upon hearing about the recent developments at the studio. On one hand, I’m excited to see that they are still hiring for some roles, particularly for the upcoming Marathon and new content for Destiny 2. However, it’s hard not to be concerned about the layoffs that have impacted so many talented individuals who worked tirelessly on these games we all love.

It appears that Bungie is continuing to recruit staff members, following a mass layoff on July 31 which affected around 220 employees – equating to approximately 17% of the company’s workforce. This drastic move eliminated certain teams within the game development studio altogether. Interestingly, this decision by Bungie was made less than two months after the successful release of The Final Shape, which has been Destiny 2’s most prosperous expansion so far according to various performance metrics.

As a gamer, I’ve been following the news closely, and it seems that some changes are coming up in the gaming world. A significant portion of Bungie employees recently found themselves out of work, while around 12% were informed that their roles would be absorbed by Sony Interactive Entertainment soon. This move, as per CEO Pete Parsons, is aimed at preventing further layoffs at Bungie. It was a tough decision, he said, but a necessary one to cut costs, even though the latest release from Bungie has been positively received.

It appears that four job positions remain open on Bungie’s career site. Two of these positions seem to be related to their upcoming PvP shooter game Marathon, while one is for a gameplay designer in Destiny 2 and another is for a marketing department release manager. It’s important to note that websites may not always be updated promptly, so some roles might have been removed but new ones are still being filled. Given the recent layoffs, it could be seen as less than ideal from Bungie’s perspective.

Roles Bungie May Be Hiring For

  • Destiny Gameplay Designer (Senior to Staff)
  • Marathon Principal Product Manager, Live & Commerce
  • Marathon Weapons Designer (Mid to Senior)
  • Release Manager

The ongoing job losses at Bungie, a Sony-owned studio, are particularly distressing for employees due to the round of layoffs they experienced in October, which made them the fourth Sony subsidiary to undergo cuts that month. Layoffs within the gaming sector have been occurring quite frequently over the past couple of years, with some being linked to excessive hiring during the pandemic and subsequent economic slowdown. However, many redundancies, including the recent ones at Bungie, are often blamed on management decisions.

Essentially, on July 31, CEO Pete Parsons admitted in a statement that Bungie had bitten off more than it could chew by being overly ambitious, resulting in spreading its talent resources too thin and too fast. Simultaneously, the company expanded to an unsustainable level, which, combined with instability in the gaming industry, poor sales of Destiny 2: Lightfall, general economic conditions, and CEO Parson’s personal spending habits, led Bungie to experience financial losses. These revelations, along with CEO Parsons’ personal spending habits, have made some Bungie employees question whether this latest round of layoffs could have been prevented to some extent.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding their employment, Bungie’s recently affected staff members remain proud of their contributions to the developer. One ex-QA team member even shared her enthusiasm for the upcoming Destiny 2 raid on social media, hinting that she plans to play it when it launches.

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2024-08-06 13:04