Bungie Cuts Roughly Half Its Staff as Destiny 2's Content Pipeline Comes to a Close

Bungie has confirmed a sweeping round of layoffs, thinning its workforce by roughly half just weeks after Destiny 2 wrapped up new content development. In announcing the cuts on June 25, 2026, the Sony-owned studio pointed to the close of that development cycle and acknowledged that the long-running shooter had "fallen short of expectations" in recent years. Bloomberg reported that around 400 jobs were eliminated out of a remaining staff of roughly 800, meaning the studio's headcount has been cut nearly in half in a single move. The reductions hit most of the team that had been working on Destiny, a number of people assigned to the upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, and staff who support PlayStation-side operations more broadly, rather than being confined to a single project.

Third round of cuts since Sony bought the studio

The layoffs mark the third time Bungie has shed staff since Sony finalized its $3.6 billion acquisition of the developer in 2022, extending a pattern of instability that has followed the once-independent studio through its first several years under PlayStation ownership.

Sony cites lack of a Destiny follow-up

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst said Bungie could no longer sustain its current headcount because no new Destiny project has been given the green light. He characterized the restructuring as an attempt to set the studio up "now and for the future," rather than a response tied to any single game's performance. Hulst added that Sony is still "encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead" for Bungie, but said it remains "too early to discuss" what the studio will work on next. Sony had reportedly spent recent months conducting a broader strategic review of Bungie's direction, its internal priorities, and its role within the wider PlayStation Studios portfolio, a process that appears to have culminated in this week's cuts rather than a sudden, isolated decision.

Destiny 2 support ends with Monument of Triumph

The layoffs land shortly after Destiny 2 received Monument of Triumph on June 9, 2026, which Bungie has treated as the game's last major content release. The staff reductions were announced on June 25, roughly two weeks later, closing out this chapter of the game's years-long post-launch support cycle. Bungie has not detailed what ongoing support, if any, Destiny 2 will receive going forward, and Sony's leadership has stopped short of outlining a broader plan for the studio beyond acknowledging that one is still being worked out. For now, the studio's future rests on Marathon and whatever comes after it, with Hulst's comments suggesting Sony still views Bungie as worth investing in even as it scales back the team significantly.