Recent reports from former Bungie employees have painted a troubling picture of the studio's internal culture. Game journalist Destin Legarie brought these claims to light through interviews with multiple ex-staff members, revealing patterns of workplace toxicity, mismanagement, and questionable leadership decisions.

The allegations come at a sensitive time for Bungie, which currently maintains the popular live-service shooter Destiny 2 while developing Marathon, its upcoming extraction shooter. The studio faced significant layoffs last year, cutting approximately 17% of its workforce (around 220 employees) despite the successful launch of The Final Shape expansion.

Toxic Workplace Allegations

According to the exposed accounts, Bungie's work environment allegedly included:

• Public humiliation tactics
• HR departments prioritizing company interests over employee welfare
• Leadership mismanagement affecting project development
• An overarching culture of greed influencing business decisions

One particularly damning quote from a former developer stated: "Everything happening to Bungie is because of greed," suggesting monetization concerns often overshadowed player experience considerations.

The Controversial Subscription Plan

Legarie's investigation also uncovered that Bungie leadership had seriously considered implementing a subscription model for Destiny 2. While previous datamined information about such plans had been dismissed as fake, the journalist's sources confirmed the studio had pitched the idea internally, only to have it "vehemently" rejected.

This revelation adds context to ongoing concerns about Bungie's monetization strategies, particularly following the Marathon art theft controversy that recently made headlines.

Current State of Destiny 2

Despite these internal challenges, Bungie continues to support Destiny 2 with regular updates. The recent Update 8.2.6.2 (May 2025) introduced:

• Various bug fixes
• Adjusted matchmaking for Trials of Osiris
• A condensed two-week rotation for the Rite of the Nine dungeon event

The Rite of Nine event, running through July 15, has been well-received by the community as preparation for the upcoming The Edge of Fate expansion.

Industry Implications

These allegations against Bungie contribute to growing concerns about workplace conditions in the game development industry. The reports emerge alongside rumors that Marathon faces exceptionally high sales expectations to be considered successful, potentially creating additional pressure on development teams.

As Bungie navigates these challenges while maintaining its live-service titles and developing new projects, the gaming community watches closely to see how the studio addresses these serious allegations about its corporate culture and development practices.

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