Bungie's financial struggles this year have been no secret, with Bungie exploring new ways to monetise Destiny 2 players, while simultaneously attempting to draw players back in after a disappointing release in Lightfall. It turns out, the executives may have good reason to be panicking despite Sony's injection of cash into the studio.
According to an IGN report, citing sources familiar with Bungie's inner workings, Bungie's buyout deal with Sony enables Bungie to remain independent, with a board that is weighted towards Bungie reps to maintain final say over the company's decisions. However, if Bungie misses its performance targets, Sony will gain full control of the company, which could put an end to the studio's cross-platform efforts with certain other platforms.
Bungie is now in a position where it needs things to turn around with The Final Shape in 2024. The expansion was delayed recently, pushing it from February to early June. This will give the dev team more time to finish things up but morale at the studio is said to be at a low point.
Due to sliding player counts and revenues, as well as delays to games like Marathon and Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Bungie let go of a chunk of its workforce, cut employee benefits and bonuses, and paused hiring across the entire company.
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KitGuru Says: Bungie has had its highs and lows throughout Destiny's life cycle. I do hope that they can bounce back with The Final Shape and give this era of Destiny the send-off it deserves.