Former Bungie employees speak out in a new report, blaming greed and leadership for the studio’s troubles, and say full Sony consolidation is the best way forward.
It’s been a turbulent time for Bungie, the studio known for Halo, Destiny, and the upcoming Marathon reboot. In the last couple of weeks, the company has been at the center of controversy, starting with serious art theft allegations.
Bungie actually admitted to using artwork in Marathon without permission and promised to review all its in-game assets. Shortly after the developer livestream last week, new reports started surfacing, which painted a pretty bleak picture inside the company.
Reports have said morale at Bungie is in “free-fall,” with staff describing the atmosphere as the worst they’ve ever seen. The marketing team has reportedly had to scrap major plans for Marathon, as well as the upcoming public Beta, now reportedly replaced with multiple playtests.
“Everything Happening to Bungie Is Because of Greed”
New information from content creator and reporter Destin Legarie of Save State Plus, who says he spoke directly with multiple former Bungie employees, paints an even bleaker picture. According to the report, former Bungie staff described a work environment where leadership seemed less interested in creativity and more focused on profits and control.
One ex-employee bluntly stated, “Everything happening to Bungie is because of greed.” Another added, “I hope they get consolidated into Sony. That’s the path forward.” These comments reflect a growing sentiment that leadership’s decisions have pushed the studio into a corner.
The internal culture, according to these sources, was defined by fear and favoritism. Legarie called it a “cool kids club,” where you either agreed with leadership or were “put on a list, berated publicly, and told your ideas didn’t matter.” One ex-employee said, “If they didn’t think of it, it wasn’t worth doing.”
Monetization pressures were a recurring theme. One former dev shared that the team was “scolded” over revenue concerns, even discussing whether the glow on Trials of Osiris armor was “too attractive” because it might hurt Destiny 2’s Eververse sales. The suggestion of a Destiny subscription was also floated in meetings, but was “vehemently” rejected by staff.
According to several ex-employees, it all added up to a culture where games weren’t about players anymore; they were just products, and players were simply customers. “Internal language shifted from ‘studio,’ ‘games,’ and ‘players’ to ‘company,’ ‘product,’ and ‘customers’ during the Sony acquisition,” one former employee said.
“The Solution Lies In Holding Leadership Accountable”
The report also mentions a few good leaders at Bungie by name, like Jason Jones (who’s been on sabbatical), Eric Osborne (said to have gotten a “bad ending”), Luis Villegas–former Bungie CTO, who transitioned to Sony last year–and former Destiny 2 game director, Joe Blackburn, described as someone who deeply cared.
One former employee said, “It makes me sad to know there are so many talented people that can make great things, but are still answering to management that can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. They make bad decisions after bad decisions. It’s not even surprising when a new story breaks.” Another said, “I just want devs to be ok.”
At the end of the day, most people Destin spoke to just want things to get better, for Bungie, and especially for the devs still working there.
What do you think? Is it time for Sony to take full control of Bungie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
