New details about Bungie’s MOBA-Smash Bros hybrid, project Gummy Bears, now under development at a new PlayStation studio.
Bungie has been quietly working on a new IP, codenamed Gummy Bears, a team-based competitive MOBA game. Gummy Bears officially transitioned from Bungie to a new PlayStation studio, with around 40 Bungie developers spearheading its continued development.
This transition followed Bungie’s second round of layoffs in mid-2024, shortly after the celebrated release of Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion. In an official statement, Bungie announced, “We are working with PlayStation Studios leadership to spin out one of our incubation projects… to form a new studio within PlayStation Studios to continue its promising development.”
First reported by The Game Post back in 2023, Gummy Bears is described as a vibrant and colorful game, aiming to attract a younger audience.
What We Know About Bungie’s Gummy Bears
Gummy Bears is a MOBA at its core, with a playful twist: it incorporates elements inspired by Nintendo’s hit platform fighting game, Super Smash Bros. This is according to multiple sources familiar with the project who wish to remain anonymous as they cannot publicly discuss the company’s plans.
Players won’t have traditional health bars; instead, the game uses a percentage-based damage system, where characters are knocked back further based on how much damage they’ve taken—or inflicted. Players can even be knocked off the map entirely.
The game features multiple game modes, catering to various player preferences, and three distinct class types: Support, Attack, and Defense. One source told us that players could hang out with friends in between matches and express their identities in the game.
With a lo-fi, cozy aesthetic, Gummy Bears is aiming to appeal to a younger audience compared to Bungie’s previous works. This tonal shift reflects a deliberate effort to diversify the studio’s portfolio and connect with new demographics.
Internally, the game has been described as Bungie’s “most fun” project from incubation, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from playtests. It’s understood that Gummy Bears has been in development for around three years.
Here are the key details we’ve learned:
- A PvP team-based competitive game.
- While fundamentally a MOBA, the game’s “Smash Bros.” influences mean it feels distinct from other entries in the genre; falling off maps, and replacing health-bar eliminations.
- Multiple game modes are planned.
- Gummy Bears is described as having lo-fi and cozy vibes, a sharp departure from Bungie’s usual dramatic, high-stakes sci-fi worlds.
- The project has been praised internally as Bungie’s “most fun” project out of incubation.
- The game is targeting a younger demographic with vibrant, colorful visuals.
- Expect a variety of roles, including Support, Attack, and Defense classes.
- Gummy Bears has been in development for at least three years.
In addition to the sourced details, Bungie’s recent patent filing sheds light on potential gameplay mechanics for Gummy Bears. The patent describes a system where towers in MOBA games can dynamically move, jump, dodge attacks, and use special abilities when charged.
For instance, a tower might retaliate after taking significant damage by performing a powerful area-of-effect attack to stun enemies. Such mechanics could introduce new layers of strategy and unpredictability, setting Gummy Bears apart from other games in the genre.
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