The president of PlayStation believes that this studio can improve its “development times” even though it is central to Sony’s strategy
Halo dads are the center of attention. The challenge ? Studio independence
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Turbulence
In October 2023, we learned that Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2 and Marathon, was in turmoil. IGN had revealed that the group's revenues had fallen 45% compared to forecasts. In order to fight against these bad figures and try to redress the situation so that Sony does not completely take power in the studio's decisions, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons Embarks on Cost-Cutting Plan. “Today is a sad day at Bungie, as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all had a significant impact on our studio” he declared on X/Twitter. Jason Schreier, in the lines of Bloomberg, revealed that around a hundred employees had been laid off, and that this was due to the postponements of the Destiny 2 and Marathon expansions. At the time, the studio's developers displayed their dissatisfaction on social networks. “I am absolutely gutted to lose so many talented and incredible teammates” wrote the company’s global community lead.
“Continue the dialogue”
VGC published a report from a question-and-answer session following the presentation of Sony's latest financial results. When answering a question, Hiroki Totoki, the group's president, gave more information on Bungie's situation. “I visited the Bungie studios and met with management. I noticed that the employees were very motivated, showed great creativity and had an impressive knowledge of service games.” did he declare. Before adding: “However, I also had the feeling that improvements were possible from a commercial point of view, particularly with regard to professional fees and development time”.
Sony's finance manager therefore has Bungie in his sights and expects efforts from the American studio, even if it is the central element in its game service strategy.. “I hope to continue the dialogue and find good solutions” he concluded. We recall that the Japanese giant grabbed hold of Bungie, it assured that the studio would continue to operate independently, while retaining the possibility of self-publishing. So far, deeds have lived up to words, with Marathon having been announced on both PS5, PC… and Xbox Series X/S.