Bungie rearranging leadership for Marathon amid worries of possible layoffs after Destiny 2 The Final Shape

Bungie is rearranging leadership for Marathon, and there are worries about possible layoffs after Destiny 2’s The Final Shape is released.

The Marathon and Destiny 2 studio was recently acquired by Sony for $3.6 billion, has joined the list of PlayStation studios facing layoffs. Although the scale of these job cuts isn’t immediately clear, several former employees took to social media on October 30 2023 to announce their departures. In addition to their popular sci-fi MMO shooter, Destiny 2, Bungie is developing the extraction shooter Marathon and a new original IP.

Reported by IGN, Bungie is reshuffling leadership for Marathon. Longtime Bungie designer Christopher Barrett is out as game director, replaced by Joe Ziegler, who previously directed Valorant at Riot Games before joining Bungie in 2022.

Reportedly, Ziegler has already made his mark on the game. Instead of customizable characters, Marathon will now feature a cast of different heroes, similar to Valorant.

“Hey everyone! Fun update: for the last 9 Months I’ve been working on Marathon as the game director. We’re still baking, but I’m excited to share with you more info on the game as we get closer and closer to bringing it to all of you.”

Hey everyone! Fun update: for the last 9
Months I’ve been working on Marathon as the game director. We’re still baking, but I’m excited to share with you more info on the game as we get closer and closer to bringing it to all of you.

— Ziegler (@Ziegler_Dev) March 19, 2024

There are growing concerns and rumors about potential layoffs following the release of The Final Shape. A source familiar with Bungie’s budgets told IGN that there are uncertainties and that cost-cutting measures may be necessary unless The Final Shape performs exceptionally well to offset the gap, allowing staff to transition to Marathon:

“One person with knowledge of budgets at Bungie told me that “nothing adds up” and “something will need to happen to curb costs unless The Final Shape does so well to cover the gap and people can move to Marathon.” – reported by Rebekah Valentine at IGN

Marathon

Marathon is an extraction game with a multiplayer player-versus-player (PVP) focus. Although gameplay footage is still pending, Bungie provided an in-depth explanation of the project in a six-minute video, highlighting its connection to the series. In this game, multiple teams consisting of three players each take control of cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners.

They are deployed to the planet Tau Ceti IV, a significant location in the original games. The primary objective is to scavenge the hostile planet for artifacts and weapons that seemingly carry over to subsequent runs in some manner. The aim is to gather as many artifacts as possible and safely extract them to achieve victory in a round, although teams have the freedom to engage in combat, eliminate opponents, and attempt to seize their loot.