In the wake of layoffs that impacted an estimated 100 Bungie employees, a new report claims that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons told staff that the cuts stemmed from Destiny 2's underperformance, including “lower-than-expected preorders for upcoming expansion The Final Shape" and insights that "player sentiment was at an all-time low." The report from IGN's Rebekah Valentine says sources shared that "this issue had been flagged to leadership repeatedly for months prior to the layoffs, with employees begging for necessary changes to win players back."
The news also comes alongside reports that The Final Shape expansion, which was previously announced for February 2024, has been delayed until June 2024. Initial reports suggested that the layoffs were part of ongoing restructuring at Bungie's parent company, Sony, but the IGN report corroborates claims that Bungie accepted responsibility for implementing such cost-cutting measures.
Although The Witch Queen expansion garnered praise from both critics and Destiny 2 players, this year’s Lightfall expansion appears to have negated the overall positive impacts of the previous expansion. According to Steam Charts, Lightfall reached a record-high peak player count of more than 316,000 upon its release in February 2023. However, the expansion culminated in many negative reviews and criticism regarding its confusing, unbalanced storyline that led to more questions than answers, its grueling levels, and weapons absent from the game even though they appeared in Lightfall promotional materials. While some players suggested they enjoyed the new Strand subclass and the visual style of the game's latest destination, Neomuna, they also noted that the location felt barren and that the game gave players few reasons to return there upon completing the Lightfall campaign.
Post-Lightfall, Destiny 2 has apparently failed to reach its revenue targets by 45%. Even the game's ongoing seasonal content couldn't sustain the game, with players expressing frustration due to recycled content, game stability issues, and a stale seasonal model. Further, players felt Bungie failed to justify a $10 increase in the cost of Lightfall over the game's previous expansion, nor could Bungie justify a 20% cost increase for its seasonal content. Players have also suggested that Bungie's piecemeal approach to content offerings confuses newer players, with separate costs for expansions, dungeons, and offerings such as Bungie's 30th Anniversary Pack.
There’s ongoing concern about Bungie's over-emphasis on in-game microtransactions, with rising costs for cosmetics along with the introduction of paid Event Cards and targeted content in Eververse. The layoffs and low community morale have led players to call for boycotts of The Final Shape. Some players now refer to the expansion as "The Final Straw".
The layoffs have fueled speculation that Bungie's situation could worsen before it improves. A delay in The Final Shape would also delay the forthcoming Episodes, pitched as a replacement for the game's present seasonal model. Destiny 2's next season launches on November 28 and will run through February 27, 2024. However, should the delay rumors prove true, it could also mean Destiny 2 won't see a substantial content drop more than six months ahead of The Final Shape.
