Former Bungie developers have spoken out against the studio’s leadership, blaming poor management and a shift in company culture for its current problems. Known for titles like Halo and Destiny, Bungie has come under fire from ex-employees who describe the studio as having a toxic work environment.
In a recent YouTube video posted by journalist Destin Legarie, several former Bungie developers shared their experiences. “Everything happening to Bungie is because of greed,” one former developer at the studio said, adding that leadership decisions and culture shifts are to blame.
They also criticised the studio’s work ethic. Terms like “humiliation,” “HR working in their own best interest,” and “leadership mismanagement” were used by the former devs to describe their time at Bungie. The developers did not name anyone directly, instead referring to management as “leadership.”
One former developer said things at the studio changed after Sony acquired Bungie. “Games weren’t games anymore. They were products. Players weren’t players anymore, they were customers,” they said.
The video also discussed an internal pitch for a subscription model for Destiny 2, which was reportedly “strongly” rejected, but Bungie leadership reportedly remained focused on maximising monetisation of the game as much as possible.
Taking to social media, a former developer from Marathon, Bungie’s upcoming title, shared his own experience. Known online as Spirited, he worked on the engineering side and called the leadership “toxic and humiliating.” In a deleted post on Bluesky, he wrote, “Bungie leadership needs to be gutted completely.” He left the studio just before layoffs dissolved the team he had worked with, and said he still feels for the people left behind.
These statements come shortly after Bungie was accused of using artwork from independent artists without permission or credit for Marathon. This marks the fourth such incident reported since 2021. Marathon is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on September 23.
