Sony is reportedly giving Bungie, which it acquired back in early 2022, orders to operate with more accountability when it comes to budget and schedules.
The information came last week after Sony’s latest financial report was released, and a Q&A session was held with PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki. During the Q&A, (which is available translated from the original Japanese), the chairman was asked for any updates for Bungie and what they are planning for this fiscal year.
“I visited the Bungie studios and had meetings with [the] management,” he says “and I saw that employees working at the studios were highly motivated, showing great creativity as well as an impressive knowledge of live services. However, I also felt that there was room for improvement from a business perspective with regard to areas such as the use of business expenses and assuming accountability for development timelines. I hope to continue the dialogue and come up with some good solutions”.
With The Final Shape, Destiny 2’s next big expansion, delayed until June after a series of layoffs last fall, development timelines are a relevant thing to bring up. Yet, according to reports that came out after those October layoffs, low morale followed after the game underperformed and missed revenue targets by a large 45% margin. With the team ready to aim for a turnaround, about 100 people were suddenly laid off. Bungie later apologized to the community and vowed to be more transparent and to do better.
Thus, the recent earnings Q&A information does make sense. With The Final Shape’s delay, Destiny 2 has been holding events, and promised to add some additional new content to bridge the end of the Lightfall Era with the beginning of the end of the Light and Darkness Saga.
When Sony acquired Bungie, it did so with a note that the studio would remain "an independent subsidiary", and while it’s still run that way, it looks like this fiscal year may be a bit of a test moving forward.
