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Amid reports of The Final Shape delay.
After a week that’s seen significant layoffs at Bungie, as well as reports of a delay for Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion, the studio has told players “we know we have lost a lot of your trust” and promised to reveal plans to “take us all out of this Darkness and into the Light.”
Reports of widespread layoffs at Bungie began circulating on Monday, and were confirmed in a statement from studio CEO Pete Parsons. Bloomberg later reported around 100 employees – approximately eight percent of Bungie’s 1200-strong workforce – were affected by the job cuts, and that the layoffs followed internal warnings studio revenue was 45 percent below projections due to a “sharp drop” in the popularity of Destiny 2.
Further reports have continued to paint a bleak picture of Destiny 2’s fortunes; pre-orders for The Final Shape are said to be disappointing, while “good” rather than “great” feedback has reportedly lead management to delay the expansion from February to June next year.
While Bungie continues to be evasive where questions of a Final Shape delay are concerned (the studio’s Marathon reimagining is reportedly also delayed and now due in 2025), it’s certainly interesting to read its latest statement to Bungie fans with these recent reports in mind.
“We want to acknowledge the feedback and concerns you have about Lightfall and recent Seasons,” the developer wrote, “as well as your responses to the reveal of The Final Shape. We know we have lost a lot of your trust. Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough and that’s going to change.”
“To us the path forward is clear,’ it continued. “We need to make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience. We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made – a fitting culmination that honours the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years. Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King – these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to.”
Bungie insists it is “intensely focused on exceeding…expectations for The Final Shape” and says more than 650 team members are “pouring all their energy and expertise into delivering this epic moment and its subsequent Episodes.” It adds that it’ll unpack a “bigger, bolder, and brighter vision” for the expansion some time after it’s detailed Destiny 2’s next Season in late November, and that it’ll outline “the bridge we plan to build to take us all out of this Darkness and into the Light” at the same time.
Elsewhere in its statement, Bungie calls this week “one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history, as we’ve parted ways with people we respect and admire.” The studio’s previous public acknowledgement of the layoffs – in which CEO Pete Parsons said the job losses marked a “sad day” for the developer – was called tone deaf after it was reported the decision to cut jobs was Bungie’s rather a directive from studio owner Sony.
