Sony has confirmed Bungie is slowly being folded into PlayStation Studios, two years after the $3.6 billion acquisition.
Two years after Sony acquired Bungie in a $3.6 billion deal, the Destiny 2 developer is slowly losing the independence it was originally promised. The deal, which closed in mid-2022, was supposed to let Bungie operate as an independent subsidiary under Sony’s umbrella. But after missed revenue targets, internal struggles, and multiple rounds of layoffs, Bungie’s role within the PlayStation ecosystem is changing, dramatically.
Over the past year and a half, several key departments at Bungie have been moved under Sony. This includes teams handling marketing, publishing, HR, legal, IT, production, and most recently, strategic partnerships.
Even Bungie’s Creative Studios and leadership figures like former CTO Luis Villegas have transitioned into senior roles at PlayStation.
Sony Now Says Bungie Is “Becoming Part of PlayStation Studios”
The latest update comes straight from Sony itself. During the company’s Q1 FY2025 earnings call earlier today, newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Lin Tao addressed Bungie’s status, and confirmed that its autonomy is slowly fading.
“About the governance of Bungie, at the time of acquisition, we were offering a very independent environment, so that was one way of thinking,” Tao explained.
“However, we have gone through structural reform, as we announced last year, so this independence is getting lighter, and Bungie is shifting into a role which is becoming more part of PlayStation Studios, and integration is proceeding. In the long term, you can see this as an ongoing process. So the direction is to become part of PlayStation Studios.”
In simple terms, that means Bungie isn’t operating fully on its own anymore. Bit by bit, the studio is being folded into the larger PlayStation organization, just like Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, or Guerrilla. While no specific timeline was given, Sony clearly sees Bungie as part of its long-term plans for first-party development, especially around live-service projects.
Bungie has had a rough stretch recently. Reports suggest the studio had around 1,600 employees before its October 2023 and July 2024 layoffs. After two major rounds of cuts and transitions into Sony, it’s believed that only about 850 employees remain.
In related news, Destiny 2’s latest expansion, The Edge of Fate’s pre-orders are reportedly down nearly 50% compared to The Final Shape. This follows a continued drop in player engagement and interest, adding further pressure on Bungie as it works through internal restructuring and full integration into PlayStation Studios.
What do you think about Bungie losing its independence and becoming part of PlayStation Studios? Is this good for Destiny and future projects like Marathon? Let us know in the comments.
