A week on from the mass layoffs at Destiny 2 developer Bungie, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s chairman has pointed to “efficiency” and “portfolio optimization” as the reasoning behind 17% of the studio’s staff being laid off.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced in a blog post last week that 220 of the studio’s staff were being laid off, and that an extra 155 roles are being integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment “over the next few quarters.” Development of an upcoming new science-fantasy action game is also going to shift to a new studio created within PlayStation Studios. All in all, it’s an enormous shakeup for the developer with hundreds affected, but this latest response from the studio’s owner, Sony, is very corporate.
The topic was raised during Sony Group Corporation’s Q1 FY2024 consolidated financial results briefing, which took place earlier today. Sony Group’s president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Hiroki Totoki, who’s also the chairman of Bungie owner Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), says: “For this restructuring the purpose is cost, the structure, and portfolio optimization. Those are the purposes. And simultaneously, we have to enhance the efficiency of the business.”
Totoki mentions the transfer of some development to PlayStation Studios, saying that “there will be some reallocation of the resources.” He continues: “So in any case, the organization of the structure will be changed, and so we’d like to optimize our overall studio structure.”
Based on the reactions of some of the Destiny devs affected by the layoffs last week, it sounds like some were unaware of the changes until they were publicly announced, with sound designer Tzvi Sherman saying: “This is how I’ve found out I’m laid off.” The layoffs came after what’s no doubt been a successful launch for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which has received very positive reviews from fans and critics alike.