After news broke earlier in the week that Bungie had let go nearly 100 of its staff, the studio has published a blog post directly addressing the layoffs and offering something of an update on the future of Destiny 2.
The post opens with an acknowledgement of the job cuts before admitting that Destiny 2’s latest expansion, Lightfall, and its recent Seasons have seen it lose trust with fans. Bungie says it’s “intensely focused” on exceeding the community’s expectations for the next major expansion, The Final Shape, and it’ll be sharing more over the coming months. The release date for The Final Shape, isn’t directly addressed but reports have suggested that its been pushed back to a June 2024 release.
The TWID will return next week with new updates from the Crucible Strike Team. Today, we have an update to the community from the Destiny 2 Development Team: https://t.co/550i79B4Sx
— Destiny 2 Team (@Destiny2Team) November 2, 2023
The full statement from Bungie reads:
“This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history, as we’ve parted ways with people we respect and admire. We’ve spent this week supporting one another, including those who are at the studio, as well as friends and colleagues who no longer are.
“We want to acknowledge the feedback and concerns you have about Lightfall and recent Seasons, as well as your responses to the reveal of The Final Shape. We know we have lost a lot of your trust. Destiny needs to surprise and delight. We haven’t done this enough and that’s going to change.
“To us the path forward is clear: We need to make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience. We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made – a fitting culmination that honors the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years. Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King – these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to.
“We are intensely focused on exceeding your expectations for The Final Shape. Destiny 2 has more than 650 dedicated teammates pouring all their energy and expertise into delivering this epic moment and its subsequent Episodes.
“In the weeks ahead, you’ll be hearing more from us about what’s next on the short-term horizon, beginning with our next Season in late November. Afterwards, we’ll begin to unpack our team’s bigger, bolder, and brighter vision for The Final Shape, as well as the bridge we plan to build to take us all out of this Darkness and into the Light.
“See you starside, The Destiny 2 Dev Team.”
