Destiny 2 and Marathon maker Bungie is "exploring options" to lease out most of its Bellevue, Washington studio following heavy layoffs and a shift to a "digital-first" employment model.
Bungie confirmed that it's looking to "sublease its campus" in a statement to The Game Post, which spotted a listing for 210,984 rentable square footage at the studio's building. The lease offer runs through 2035.
You should not read this news as a sign that Bungie is imminently closing its doors. In many ways, it's no surprise. It more accurately reflects the physical and financial needs of the studio's dramatically smaller team. But it certainly is bad news.
"The studio transitioned to a digital-first model several years ago, and this move reflects the team’s evolving workplace needs and the effectiveness of its remote collaboration," as Bungie puts it.
There are fewer people employed at the studio and more of those people are remote, in other words, so they don't need as much space.
Bungie expanded into this building years ago as part of a Pete Parsons-backed plan to become a multi-franchise studio. In the years since, Parsons has left, his replacement has left, multiple incubation projects have been culled, Destiny 2 has been canceled, and Marathon – the only other game Bungie has actually made and released in a decade – has struggled to maintain an audience.
Counting Marathon and Destiny 2, Bungie reportedly had five or six games in development at one point, apparently including a Genshin Impact-like fantasy game. These projects seemingly evaporated not long after Sony bought Bungie for $3.6 billion, and studio executives have been criticized for allegedly juicing incubation to pump up the company's perceived value.
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/destiny/bungies-studio-is-up-for-sublease-after-heavy-destiny-2-layoffs-which-doesnt-bode-well
