Amid ongoing nervousness inside Bungie following layoffs final 12 months, the studio is now making ready for an additional shakeup, this time on Marathon — its upcoming service recreation supposed as its subsequent step past Future.
Based on a number of sources aware of the matter, Bungie is within the midst of shifting round its artistic management on Marathon, together with eradicating long-time Bungie designer Christopher Barrett from the sport director function. IGN discovered he’s being changed by former Valorant recreation director Joe Ziegler, who left Riot Video games for Bungie in 2022.
IGN has reached out to Bungie for touch upon whether or not or not Barrett will stay with the corporate. Bungie has not but responded to IGN’s request for remark, however shortly after we reached out, Ziegler confirmed his appointment as recreation director on X/Twitter.
“For the final 9 Months I’ve been engaged on Marathon as the sport director,” he wrote. “We’re nonetheless baking, however I’m excited to share with you extra data on the sport as we get nearer and nearer to bringing it to all of you.”
Hey everybody! Enjoyable replace: for the final 9
Months I’ve been engaged on Marathon as the sport director. We’re nonetheless baking, however I’m excited to share with you extra data on the sport as we get nearer and nearer to bringing it to all of you.— Ziegler (@Ziegler_Dev) March 19, 2024
Whereas this is occurring, sources inform IGN that Bungie is pouring sources into getting Marathon out the door. The sport’s path has shifted considerably beneath Ziegler’s new management, one supply says, together with transferring away from customized participant characters in favor of a selectable solid of heroes.
Marathon Over Matter
Whereas upcoming Future 2 growth The Ultimate Form can be being prioritized, there are rising fears and rumors that layoffs will instantly comply with its launch. One individual with data of budgets at Bungie advised me that “nothing provides up” and “one thing might want to occur to curb prices until The Ultimate Form does so properly to cowl the hole and other people can transfer to Marathon.”
When Sony acquired Bungie, the studio introduced with it quite a few different incubation initiatives, together with a MOBA-like recreation codenamed Gummy Bears and a brand new IP referred to as Matter. Based on sources, Matter was canceled again in 2020, however the crew continued engaged on the same challenge with barely totally different path till that too was canceled in late 2022. Gummy Bears, in the meantime, is at present in a holding sample because of the ongoing firm struggles.
Inside the firm, there’s a rising expectation that senior firm management will go away in droves in the summertime of 2026 when the ultimate payouts from Sony’s acquisition of the corporate take impact. With this in thoughts, there’s a sturdy push to get Marathon out the door earlier than then, and let whoever takes the reins after that (be it Sony or Bungie) fear about the way it’s sustained.
A Marathon, and a Dash
Bungie has discovered itself rocked by quite a few main shake-ups in recent times which have tanked morale on the Future studio and left its future unsure. Sony formally acquired the studio mid-2022, with the promise it could largely retain a semblance of freedom as an impartial subsidiary. Whereas sources say that is largely remained true, Bungie has struggled to fulfill key monetary targets, Future 2 considerably underperformed final 12 months.
In October, Bungie laid off roughly 100 of its then-1,200 workers amid larger cost-cutting measures that noticed Marathon delayed to 2025 and worker advantages slashed, additional damaging the temper internally. Notably, a number of sources on the time and since have shared that Sony has largely left the studio to type out its personal troubles and was not answerable for the layoffs, with CEO Pete Parsons taking accountability.
Nonetheless, sources on the time additionally advised IGN that when leaders have been requested if that they had thought of taking pay cuts prior to creating layoff selections, one responded that Bungie was not “that sort of firm.” Internally, the sentiment is simply rising that The Ultimate Form must succeed for Bungie to keep away from additional inside turmoil.
Neither Bungie nor Sony responded to IGN’s request for remark.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.