Following the low sales of Marathon and the end of support for Destiny 2, PlayStation has confirmed mass layoffs at Bungie.
In a statement on social media, Bungie confirmed that the studio is “reorganising” following Destiny 2’s final content update. A following statement from PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst confirmed that the layoffs have hit “most of the Destiny team”.
Following statements earlier this year that Bungie’s Marathon will receive “years” of content updates, Hulst confirmed that there are no plans to move away from the game despite its low player-counts.
Whilst announcing the layoffs, Hulst confirmed that the plans for Marathon are continuing while Bungie also works on new projects. “Marathon remains an important part of our portfolio, and we will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects,” he said. “ While it’s too early to discuss, we are encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead.”
Marathon launched as a PvP extraction shooter, but that doesn’t seem to be the whole future for the game. As other extraction shooters see larger success from their focus on PvE, it appears that Bungie is also focusing heavily on player co-operation for future updates.
Earlier this year, the game already saw a major shift with the introduction of Mercy Kits. However, these ended up being used primarily by the community to troll other players instead of introducing more PVE gameplay to the violent world of Bungie’s extraction shooter.
The game’s latest update introduces an experimental new mode focusing on PvE gameplay: Vault Breaker. “Explore Cryo Archive as a crew, duo, or solo player, taking on a progressively challenging series of vault,” the mode’s synopsis reads. “Grow stronger across multiple matches with progression that’s unique to Vault Breaker, and push towards the final vault and the mysterious entity within.”
While it seems like Marathon will never be the major hit that Bungie’s work on Halo and Destiny was, the game has generated a strong core fanbase. The game has also been a massive critical success with rave reviews, although it has been hard to bring new players into the game. Some have suggested that the game will become free-to-play, although that’s not been confirmed by anyone at the time of publication.
