Bungie CEO Pete Parsons steps down, following years of criticism, layoffs, and that infamous classic car collection

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has stepped down from his place after over 20 years on the studio.

Parsons has been much-criticised by followers and staff alike in recent times, specifically following a number of rounds of layoffs on the studio. In a public assertion, Parsons mentioned he is “determined to cross the torch” – an ironic use of phrases when Bungie has seemingly been up in flames.

Parsons shall be succeeded as CEO by Justin Truman, who’s spent 15 years at Bungie throughout each Future video games and, extra not too long ago, forthcoming live-service shooter Marathon.

“I’m deeply pleased with the worlds we have constructed collectively and the hundreds of thousands of gamers who name them dwelling – and most of all I’m privileged by the chance to work alongside the unimaginable minds at Bungie,” wrote Parsons in his assertion.

“Once I was requested to steer Bungie in 2015, my purpose was to develop us right into a studio able to creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning leisure. We have been by means of a lot collectively: we launched a daring new chapter for Future, constructed an enviable, unbiased live-ops organisation able to creating and publishing its personal video games, and joined the unimaginable household at Sony Interactive Leisure.”

Parsons additionally leaves lots of of layoffs and destructive participant sentiment in his wake, to not point out an notorious penchant for traditional vehicles.

Even earlier than Bungie’s acquisition by Sony, studies emerged in 2021 of office toxicity and “overt sexism” on the studio, for which Parsons apologised. “I’m not right here to refute or to problem the experiences we’re seeing shared immediately by individuals who have graced our studio with their time and expertise,” he mentioned on the time. “Our actions or, in some circumstances, inactions, brought about these folks ache. I apologise personally and on behalf of everybody at Bungie who I do know feels a deep sense of empathy and unhappiness studying by means of these accounts.”

Then in February 2022, Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6bn, ostensibly to help with its live-service ambitions. Although the acquisition was met with criticism by some – the FTC, as an example, opened an investigation – others had been extra optimistic.

In 2024, as an example, Bungie’s former chief in-house lawyer Don McGowan mentioned Sony was “inflicting some self-discipline” on the studio to “run the sport like a enterprise”. “To be clear: I am not speaking in regards to the layoffs, I am speaking about forcing them to get their heads out of their asses and deal with issues like: implementing a technique of recent participant acquisition; not simply doing fan service for the followers within the Bungie C-suite; and working the sport like a enterprise,” mentioned McGowan.

Nevertheless, a 12 months after the acquisition, Bungie laid off 100 staff – roughly eight p.c of its 1200-strong workforce – after administration warned workers income for the 12 months was considerably beneath expectations. Many staff had been left anxious about the way forward for the corporate, amid claims senior administration met staff’ unhappiness on the layoffs with “indifference and even outright flippancy or hostility”.

Parsons adopted the information with an announcement on social media, calling it a “unhappy day at Bungie”. The assertion was closely criticised as tone deaf and a “slap within the face to anybody impacted by the layoffs”.

A 12 months later, Bungie laid off an extra 220 workers, representing roughly 17 p.c of the studio’s workforce. Between each rounds, Bungie laid off round 1 / 4 of its workforce in 9 months, with the corporate reportedly overstating its monetary prospects to Sony.

Present and former Bungie staff referred to as that second spherical of layoffs “inexcusable”, amid requires Parsons to resign. “Pete is a joke,” mentioned former international social media lead Griffin Bennet (who was laid off within the earlier cuts), whereas former Future 2 group supervisor Liana Ruppert wrote, “Step down, Pete.”

Parsons additionally confronted criticism from workers for spending hundreds of thousands of {dollars} on basic vehicles because the studio was acquired by Sony, and bragging about his lavish assortment forward of job losses. The CEO’s public profile on Convey a Trailer revealed he’d appeared to spend $2,414,550 on autos.

Followers shared an identical sentiment towards Parsons. Famous Future content material creator MyNameIsByf (AKA Lore Daddy) posted on X: “Management must be modified. Their choices have constantly led to catastrophe for everybody who has truly been making the video games we play. They have been reckless with the studio, its staff, and its franchises. The issue is obvious. Dangerous management. It wants to alter.”

Now, Parsons is out, leaving Truman in cost. “I’ve labored alongside Justin for a few years,” he wrote. “His ardour for our video games, our staff, and our gamers is unmatched.”

Truman himself added to the assertion with refreshing honesty, admitting earlier errors made throughout Future 2’s launch. “I’ve additionally been a part of these efforts at Bungie after we’ve perhaps not been at our greatest,” he wrote. “After we’ve stumbled and realised by means of listening to our group that we had missed the mark. I do know I’ve personally discovered quite a bit through the years, as have all of us right here, from these conversations.”

He continued: “I’m dedicated to supporting and dealing alongside each member of the staff right here as we proceed pouring our hearts and souls into these worlds. Worlds that we love, and that we hope have been value your time and your ardour. As a result of in the end these worlds solely exist, and thrive, with you in them.”

Bungie continues to work on Future 2, whereas its subsequent launch shall be Marathon. Whereas Marathon gameplay was lastly proven again in April, in June Bungie delayed the sport indefinitely in response to “passionate” fan suggestions. Forward of the choice, Bungie workers morale was mentioned to be in “free fall” because it grappled with the fallout over Marathon belongings stolen from different artists.

Whereas such endemic toxicity and poor administration can not, in fact, be pinpointed to at least one particular person, Bungie is clearly at a important level in its historical past. Let’s hope this shift in CEO will increase morale on the studio forward of Marathon’s eventual launch – and no matter is subsequent for Bungie.