Yesterday afternoon, the shocking news of 220 layoffs by Bungie certainly shook the gaming industry, with the Destiny team losing 17% of its total workforce. CEO Pete Parsons stated in the official letter that this was “some of the hardest changes we’ve ever had to make as a studio,” explaining that the decision was made due to rising development costs and changes in the industry, as well as current economic conditions.
But behind that number, 220, are individuals who decided to speak out on social media and openly criticize Parsons: liar, thief, calls for his resignation came from community manager Liana Ruppert. “Pete is a joke,” says Griffin Bennett, former community manager for Destiny, who then added that poor leadership has destroyed one of the greatest developers of all time, concluding with “Go retire, Pete.” Another community manager, Sam Bartley, calling him a coward and a liar, emphasized that this was a choice made by Parsons and that just days before, this situation did not seem apparent. “You even invited me to see your new cars two days before firing me. Two. Fucking. Days. Get lost. Now.” Her words were among many others that came in support of the laid-off developers and against the CEO.
It’s a tough situation for Bungie, which will continue working on Destiny (the roadmap remains unchanged) and Marathon, in addition to the fact that part of the team will be split off to create a new studio that will develop a new project, an action game set in a new fantasy-science fiction universe.
