Bungie, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based Bellevue, Washington. Established in 1991, Bungie started out as a developer for Macintosh computers before moving to Windows and console platforms. The studio is best known for numerous first-person shooter franchises created through the years including their self-owned Marathon trilogy and Microsoft's flagship Halo series; since 2014 the company is best known for the Destiny franchise. Since 2022, Bungie is a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Bungie's first decade of existence saw the company working as a developer on Macintosh computers with various partners. In 2000, the company was acquired by Microsoft to become a primary asset for Microsoft's console brand, Xbox. The studio's success with Halo - a launch title for the original Xbox - was pivotal for the console's success and turned into a billion dollar franchise. In 2007, Bungie split from Microsoft, with a final project in 2010. The same year, Bungie signed on a 10-year publishing contract with Activision to develop Destiny. The partnership saw two releases in 2014's Destiny and its 2017 sequel Destiny 2. In 2019, Bungie terminated the contract, with Destiny titles moving to self-publishing by the company.
In 2022, Bungie was acquired by PlayStation manufacturer Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a direct subsidiary. As a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Bungie remains an autonomous developer and publisher that releases titles on both PlayStation consoles and other platforms. Under this ownership, Bungie provides support and guidance to Sony's multiplayer and live-service video game offerings. In 2023, Bungie unveiled a revival of its Marathon games, to co-exist with Destiny as a second franchise for Bungie.
History[]
1990s: Founding and early success[]
2000 - 2007: Microsoft acquisition, Halo acclaim[]
2007 - 2010: Split from Microsoft[]
2010 - 2019: Activision partnership, Destiny[]
In April 2010, Bungie announced that it signed a decade-long deal with American game publisher Activision, after nine months of negotiations. As part of the deal, Activision would act as the publisher for Bungie's new intellectual property and bring it to platforms outside of Xbox, while Bungie will retain the rights to the franchise.[1] An Activision lawsuit unrelated to Bungie leaked the project's title and that the contract was to include four games released every other year beginning 2013.[2]
Following leaks occurring in 2012, Bungie and Activision announced their joint project as Destiny at E3, in June 2013.[3] Originally slated for a 2013 release, Destiny was eventually released in September 2014 to seventh- and eighth-generation consoles.[4] It received largely favorable reviews,[5][6] and was an enormous commercial success to Bungie and Activision, grossing over $500 million on its launch.[7]
In January 2016, Ryan stepped down from his position as CEO and Chairman of Bungie. Pete Parsons, Bungie's chief operating officer who previously worked at Xbox and joined the company in 2002, was appointed as his replacement.[8]
2019 - 2022: Self-publishing efforts and free-to-play models[]
On January 10, 2019, Bungie and Activision jointly announced the termination of their publishing deal; as a result, Bungie would retain their ownership of the Destiny IP, will take over publishing duties from Activision and the existing Destiny games will transition from Activision's Battle.net service to Valve's Steam online storefront.[9] Despite rumors of conflicts between the two companies, Bungie's communications director David "Deej" Dague dismissed notions of Activision being a "prohibitive overlord" over Destiny, and claimed the split was "amicable", with both companies having different goals for Destiny.[10] Following the split, Bungie unveiled Shadowkeep, the forth expansion for Destiny 2; it was released in October 2019 to mixed reviews.[11]
2022 - current: Sony acquisition, company reconstructions[]
On January 21, 2022, it was announced that Sony Interactive Entertainment would be buying Bungie in a deal worth $3.6 billion. As a SIE subsidiary, Bungie would remain an independent and autonomous game developer and publisher existing alongside PlayStation Studios; as part of the deal, Sony would help Bungie in expanding hiring efforts for the Destiny franchise and other projects as well as multimedia expansion, while Bungie would share its knowledge, expertise to support Sony's pursuit into the live-service market.[12][13] At the time of the acquisition, Bungie employed 826 people.[14]
In July 2022, Sony and Bungie announced that the acquisition was completed, making the latter a SIE subsidiary.[15] With the acquisition's completion, Bungie became involved in all of the live-service titles in production at PlayStation Studios and collaborates with Sony for "rigorous" portfolio review processes. In return, SIE president Jim Ryan explained that Sony would help Bungie to gain market foothold in European and Asian territories, in which Bungie had a smaller presence than in the Americas; in May 2023, Ryan reiterated that both companies would explore further media expansion of Bungie's intellectual properties.[16]
In August 2022, Bungie announced the seventh expansion of Destiny 2, Lightfall. Releasing in February 2023, it was the first release by Bungie as part of Sony Interactive and PlayStation.[17] In May 2023, Bungie introduced its first crossover with PlayStation properties, based on God of War, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us and Ratchet & Clank.[18] The same month, Bungie and Sony announced Marathon and Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion pack at Sony's PlayStation Showcase.[19]
In August 2023, Bungie announced that the company would not mandate return to offices and instead will prioritize a digital-first working environment.[20][21] The studio also confirmed that it was working on a third game in addition to their work on Destiny 2 and Marathon.[22][23]
In October 2023, Bloomberg reported that Bungie laid-off an undisclosed amount of employees as part of cost-cutting and reconstruction within Sony Interactive Entertainment, and due to Bungie's announced titles, Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon, getting delayed to June 2024 and an unspecified 2025 release window respectively.[24]
On January 30, 2024, Joe Blackburn, who served as game director on Destiny 2, announced his departure from Bungie. His position was succeeded by Tyson Green, a studio veteran who worked on Halo and Destiny.[25]
On July 31, 2024, Bungie announced that it would eliminate 220 jobs - 17% of its workforce - as part of a wider reconstruction, which will see Bungie getting further integration into parent company Sony. Roughly 155 positions within Bungie - 12% of its workforce - will move under Sony Interactive Entertainment. This would leave Bungie with around 850 employees. As a consequence, an incubation team within Bungie, consisting of around 40 developers[26], will be spun-off into PlayStation Studios; the team was working on an action video game set in an original science-fiction setting, codenamed Gummybears.[27] According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who spoke to ten current and former Bungie employees, the company stretched itself thin with newfound resources from Sony, including hasty headcount inflation and pursuit of multiple different projects including mobile Destiny titles, incubated projects and potential game remakes. Concurrently, Bungie struggled with its active projects, with Destiny 2 experiencing disappointing sales. The subsequent layoffs and financial issues led Bungie to rethink its model for Destiny 2, eschewing the paid expansion model in favor of smaller free updates. Among staff that was laid off or left, Destiny veterans Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy departed the company that same week.[28]
Subsidiaries[]
Bungie Amsterdam[]
Studio identity[]
Studio culture and structure[]
Design and game philosophy[]
Technology[]
Tiger[]
Controversies and legal issues[]
2023 wrongful termination allegations[]
In 2023, Ingrid Alm, who was hired by Bungie as an HR manager in May 2022, filed a complaint against the company for retaliation and wrongful termination. In her lawsuit, Alm alleged that she was instructed by Bungie to investigate the performance of an employee, who felt he was being racially targeted and singled-out by his supervisor for being the only Black person in a team of 50 employees. According to Alm, upon sharing the information with her supervisor, her suggestions to send the employee's superior to diversity training were met with "hostility and denial", and that similar reactions were met with previous individual employees she recommended for training. Alm alleged she received a message that her resignation was accepted without her knowledge, and that she declined to sign a document claiming she "voluntarily resigned". In a statement, Bungie claimed the company "lack[ed] knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of the allegations."[29]
Relationships with other studios[]
PlayStation Studios[]
Following its acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022, one of Bungie's purposes is to share its experience, technology, input and results in game-as-a-service development with PlayStation Studios.
Firewalk Studios[]
Bungie provides support for Firewalk Studios's debut title, Concord.
Naughty Dog[]
Bungie aided Naughty Dog in unknown capacity during the development of the multiplayer mode of 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves; Naughty Dog thanked Bungie among other studios for its contributions.[30] In May 2023, it was reported that Bungie evaluated Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer title at the request of parent company Sony, and questioned its ability to sustain player engagement; as a result, Naughty Dog scaled the development back while pursuing other projects.
Games[]
Main releases[]
| Game title | Release | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny | 2014 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Originally published by Activision circa 2014-2019 |
| Destiny 2 | 2017 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One | Originally published by Activision circa 2017-2019; original version replaced by Destiny 2: New Light in 2019 |
| Destiny 2: New Light | 2019 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia | Updated, free to play version of Destiny 2, replacing the original version |
| Marathon | 2025 | PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X/S | n / a |
Expansion packs and downloadable content[]
| Game title | Release | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny: The Dark Below | 2014 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | First expansion pack to Destiny |
| Destiny: House of Wolves | 2015 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Second expansion pack to Destiny |
| Destiny: The Taken King | 2015 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | First major and overall third expansion pack to Destiny |
| Destiny: Rise of Iron | 2016 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Second major, overall forth and final expansion pack to Destiny |
| Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris | 2017 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One | First expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: Warmind | 2018 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One | Second expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: Forsaken | 2018 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One | Third expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: Shadowkeep | 2019 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia | Forth expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: Beyond Light | 2020 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia | Fifth expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: The Witch Queen | 2022 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia | Sixth expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: Lightfall | 2023 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Seventh expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
| Destiny 2: The Final Shape | 2024 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Eighth expansion pack to Destiny 2 |
Other projects[]
| Game title | Release | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | 2009 | PlayStation 3 | Special thanks; developed by Naughty Dog |
| Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | 2011 | PlayStation 3 | Special thanks; developed by Naughty Dog |
| Concord | 2024 | PlayStation 5, PC | Support; developed by Firewalk Studios |
| Project Gummybears | TBA | TBA | Incubation; development moved to PlayStation Studios |
Cancelled games[]
| Game title | Cancellation | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Payback | June 2024 | n / a | Spin-off to the Destiny franchise |
References[]
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/bungie-signs-10-year-activision-deal
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/21/details-on-bungie-39-s-new-project-39-destiny-39-revealed.aspx
- ↑ https://www.polygon.com/e3-2013/2013/6/13/4426716/bungie-unveils-its-destiny
- ↑ https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/11318/7_destiny-launch-date
- ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/destiny/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4
- ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-review-roundup/1100-6422299/
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/technology/wp/2014/09/11/activisions-destiny-ships-500-million-in-one-day/
- ↑ https://gamerant.com/bungie-pete-parsons-ceo-destiny-132/
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/01/10/bungie-splits-with-activision-and-takes-over-destiny-publishing
- ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/bungie-on-this-years-break-up-and-building-a-better-future-for-destiny
- ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/destiny-2-shadowkeep
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/sony-buying-bungie-for-usd3-6-billion
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/playstation-bungie-will-considerably-accelerate-our-journey-with-multiplatform-live-service-games
- ↑ https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/irday/pdf/2022/GNS_E.pdf
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/15/23220335/bungie-sony-acquisition-complete-official-done
- ↑ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-is-using-bungie-to-rigorously-vet-its-upcoming-live-service-games/
- ↑ https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/article/lightfall-twab-03-02-23
- ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-adding-playstation-crossover-armor-including-god-of-war/1100-6514437/
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/23735830/bungie-marathon-sci-fi-pvp-extraction-shooter
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Bungie/status/1692594054603890851
- ↑ https://twitter.com/damascus111/status/1692594406602469590
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Bungie/status/1692594057594429472
- ↑ https://www.gamesradar.com/bungies-next-secret-game-is-finally-out-in-the-open-its-team-based-sci-fi-and-whatever-frog-type-means/
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-30/sony-s-bungie-game-unit-cuts-staff-following-delayed-titles
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/destiny-2-director-stepping-down-after-release-of-the-final-shape
- ↑ https://x.com/jasonschreier/status/1818735008787444030
- ↑ https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/article/newpath
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-02/sony-s-bungie-maker-of-halo-and-destiny-faces-reckoning-after-mass-layoff
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/former-bungie-hr-manager-is-suing-for-wrongful-termination-after-she-reported-potential-racial-bias
- ↑ https://www.giantbomb.com/app.php/uncharted-2-among-thieves/3030-22420/forums/naughty-dog-explains-why-they-thanked-bungie-and-i-266667/
| Bungie |
|---|
| Sony Interactive Entertainment (parent company) - PlayStation Studios (affiliate) Destiny Technology: Tiger |