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According to a recent report, Bungie, the game developer, has announced delays for its upcoming projects. Both the highly anticipated game “Marathon” and the expansion for “Destiny 2” titled “The Final Shape” have been affected. This news comes amidst a significant staff reduction at Bungie, resulting in the departure of many high-ranking employees.
“The Final Shape” expansion for “Destiny 2” is poised to mark the conclusion of the Light vs. Darkness saga that originated in the first installment of the game. Following this pivotal narrative conclusion, Bungie plans to transition from a seasonal content release model to an episodic one, a departure from the current three-month cycle. The recent alteration of the weekly blog’s name from “This Week at Bungie” to “This Week in Destiny” suggests a shift in the developer’s focus towards other projects. However, unforeseen challenges have arisen, leading to the postponement of these significant launches.
As per Bloomberg’s sources within Bungie, “The Final Shape” expansion is now slated for a June 2024 release, while the release date for “Marathon” has been pushed to 2025. Notably, Bungie had not officially confirmed Marathon’s release window prior to this report, indicating a potential 2024 release date before these developments. The layoffs at Bungie may be one of the contributing factors to these delays, potentially raising concerns about the future of the developer.
While the report addresses the potential delay of two projects, it is worth noting that there are several other ongoing projects at Bungie that may have been affected. For example, the developer was recently seeking talent for a team-based action game drawing inspiration from various genres. Another project under development, known by the codename “Matter,” was trademarked by Bungie in 2018. A job listing related to the Matter project suggested it would be set in a universe akin to Destiny. Moreover, recent legal proceedings between Microsoft and the FTC indicated that Matter’s launch, initially slated for 2025, might also be subject to change due to the current circumstances.
These staff reductions and project delays at Bungie align with similar challenges faced by other PlayStation studios. One such studio, Naughty Dog, also recently experienced layoffs. Reports suggest that the development of the multiplayer component for “The Last of Us” has been put on hold, implying a broader strategic shift for PlayStation studios and, potentially, for Sony as a whole.