Ex-Destiny 2 Devs Allege Toxic Work Culture at Bungie

Summary

Ex-Bungie employees allege toxic work culture, citing humiliation, mismanagement, and greed, reported by game journalist Destin Legarie.
Bungie considered a Destiny 2 subscription but faced rejection after pitching.

A game journalist has shared several comments from former Bungie employees who are accusing the studio of harboring a toxic working environment. Bungie is currently in charge of maintaining the popular multiplayer shooter Destiny 2, and the studio is also in the middle of testing the upcoming team-based extraction shooter Marathon.

Bungie reported it was laying off around 17% of its workforce last year, which involved around 220 people losing their jobs. Rising development costs, industry shifts, and tough economic conditions were said to be behind the decision, despite the successful launch of The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2. Bungie has been dealing with a myriad of accusations recently, and this latest glimpse behind the veil is adding fuel to the fire.

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By Gabriel Machado Pureza

On the heels of Bungie dealing with Marathon’s art theft controversy, game journalist Destin Legarie posted a nearly 10-minute video on YouTube reporting that several ex-Bungie employees had been spoken to. One of the main takeaways from the interviews was several allegations from ex-devs claiming Bungie was harboring a "toxic work culture.” Other points raised against Bungie’s work ethic included “humiliation, HR working in their own best interest, and leadership mismanagement.” Furthermore, another former employee stated, "Everything happening to Bungie is because of greed,” following reports claiming staff were pulled up about monetization with an added emphasis on the fact that the studio wasn’t overly concerned by players and the community.

Ex-Bungie Employees Allege Studio's Toxic Working Environment

Destin’s video also touched on the talked-about Destiny 2 subscription, as the studio considered giving the shooter a standard subscription service. A previous Destiny 2 datamine regarding the subscription was deemed fake, but Destin's video noted that the team pitched a subscription, but the idea was "vehemently" shut down. Additionally, the journalist’s sources claimed Bungie's management was supposedly hellbent on monetizing Destiny 2.

Despite the whirlwind surrounding Bungie of late, Destiny 2 deployed the Update 8.2.6.2 hotfix for May 2025, which offered several bug fixes and reduced match chances for Trials of Osiris. Among the other tweaks being updated in Destiny 2 is the reduced Dungeon rotation to two weeks for Rite of the Nine, an ongoing event that players have warmly received. Rite of the Nine is a dungeon-themed PvE event that will run from its previous May 6 start date to July 15, preceding The Edge of Fate expansion launch.

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