Bungie is facing a fresh round of layoffs that could remove roughly half of its remaining staff this summer, following the end of active development on Destiny 2 and the weak performance of Marathon. The claim comes from French journalist Sylvain Trinel of BFM TV, who says both permanent employees and contractors are in line to be affected. Neither Bungie nor Sony has confirmed the figure.
Quick answer: Treat the 50% number as an unconfirmed rumor. It is sourced to a journalist’s social posts and lines up with earlier reporting of “significant” cuts, but no official figure or date has been announced by Bungie or Sony.
What the Bungie layoff rumor actually says
Trinel wrote that he is “treading carefully,” but that he has heard at least 50 percent of Bungie’s workforce, including permanent and contract staff, would be affected this summer. He tied the reductions directly to the wind-down of Destiny 2 and the ongoing situation with Marathon. He framed it as a personal blow, saying the studio is close to his heart and that the situation could have been avoided with better management.
In a later post, Trinel added that many people inside PlayStation do not understand the decision made at the top to discontinue Destiny 2, and that Sony’s leadership has placed blame on Bungie over problems with its games-as-a-service strategy. He repeated the claim that around half of the studio is expected to be let go.
The rumor has been echoed by other industry watchers. Forbes’ Paul Tassi did not commit to a percentage but described the layoffs as likely “significant,” noting that Bungie has no new game project greenlit. Tassi also suggested some of Bungie’s leadership could depart in July, after Sony’s current financial quarter closes on June 30.
Why this was expected after Destiny 2 ended
The warning signs predate Trinel’s posts. Bungie confirmed that Destiny 2 reached the end of its development cycle with the Monument of Triumph update on June 9, marking the final major content drop after roughly twelve years of the franchise. The game remains playable, but the constant flow of expansions and seasons has stopped.
Shortly after that announcement, Bloomberg reported that Sony was planning a “significant number of layoffs” as it wound down Destiny 2. The same reporting stated that Destiny 3 is not in active production and that no immediate plans exist to begin a third game in the series. Staff had reportedly been pitching new projects, including new Destiny games, but nothing had been approved.
Bungie’s other bet, the extraction shooter Marathon, has not turned things around. Despite a positive critical reception, it failed to build a sustained player base, even after a free play window and the launch of Season 2: Nightfall with a new PvE-focused mode. The game reportedly cost Sony well over $250 million to make.
Bungie’s layoff history and headcount
A 50% cut would land on a studio that has already shrunk repeatedly. Bungie once employed roughly 1,600 people, but it has trimmed its ranks multiple times in recent years as Destiny 2 revenue fell short of internal targets.
| Period | Reported reduction |
|---|---|
| Late 2023 | About 100 employees |
| 2024 | About 220 employees |
| Summer 2026 (rumored) | Up to 50% of remaining permanent and contract staff |
Sony’s financial losses on Bungie
The financial backdrop helps explain why the rumor is being taken seriously. Sony bought Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022. In its recent earnings, Sony disclosed an impairment loss of around $800 million tied to the studio, acknowledging that its value is far below what was paid.
That write-down reflects how sharply expectations have shifted. Bungie’s leadership had positioned the company as a live-service powerhouse capable of running multiple franchises at once. Instead, Destiny 2 has reached its legacy phase and Marathon has struggled to find an audience.
Destiny 2 is still selling well
There is an irony in the timing. As the layoff rumor spread, Destiny 2 climbed back into Steam’s weekly top three by revenue, and its final update drove a concurrent player peak that topped Marathon‘s all-time high for a full week. Part of that surge is down to a deep discount, with the Destiny 2 collection running at 52% off.
For now, the only firm facts are that Destiny 2‘s major development has ended, Destiny 3 is not in production, and Bloomberg has reported significant cuts are coming. The exact scale and timing, including the 50% figure, remain unconfirmed by Bungie or Sony, so the precise number of jobs lost will not be known until the company makes an official statement.
