Bungie CEO says it’s “a sad day” as company announces staff layoffs
Destination developer Bungie is the latest video game company to face layoffs this year, as an unknown number of staff members face layoffs.
In a post on Twitter Yesterday (October 30), Bungie CEO and Chairman Pete Parsons described everyone involved as “truly talented people”, saying it was a “sad day at Bungie”.
“Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all had a significant impact on our studio,” he wrote. “What these exceptional individuals have contributed to our games and Bungie culture has been tremendous and will continue to be part of Bungie long into the future.
“These are really talented people. If there are any vacancies, I would highly recommend them all.”
Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all had a significant impact on our studio. What these exceptional individuals have contributed to our games and Bungie culture has been tremendous and will continue to be part of Bungie long into the future.October 30, 2023
One of the people affected is Bungie’s head of social media, Griffin Bennett. On Twitter, Bennett wrote: “I got fired from Bungie. It’s a surreal thing to write as I sit here thinking about what went wrong. I’m still processing it all and even though my first instinct is anger, I know I would regret what I said. I want to thank everyone at Bungie who helped make my last five years the best ever.”
Also affected Lot 2 community manager and Bungie’s co-lead of accessibility, Liana Ruppert, who tweeted: “Well… my heart breaks for everyone affected. I am now looking for options. I have 21 years of experience in the games industry in media, production and community management. I’m processing, I’m so heartbroken. I don’t know what to do from here… this was my home. I feel so lost.”
This year, several other gaming companies have seen significant staff cuts. Back in September, Fortnite developer Epic Games announced it would lay off more than 800 employees (about 16% of the workforce), as CEO Tim Sweeney said: “I was optimistic for a long time that we could get through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic.”
In addition to the Destiny series, Bungie is known for developing the original Halo games, which are still part of the best FPS games. You can find more recommendations in our collection of the best Xbox Series X games.