It has not been an enjoyable couple of years for Bungie, the once-beloved developers of Halo and Destiny.
A series of layoffs, reports of underwhelming Marathon playtests, and a lawsuit involving the alleged misconduct of Marathon director Christoper Barrett dogged Bungie throughout 2024.
This week, the studio stumbled into another controversy. Bungie was accused of including plagiarised assets in Marathon, stolen from an independent artist unaffiliated with the studio. These accusations proved true, with Bungie blaming a former artist and committing to a full audit to ensure there is no other plagiarised art present in Marathon.
Forbes reported that morale is in "free fall" and "the vibes have never been worse" ahead of the release of Marathon. The success of Marathon is crucial for Bungie, which can't afford a flop.
Quotes from former Bungie employees gathered by Destin Legarie have provided additional context on the current mood at Bungie.
"I hope they get consolidated into Sony, that's the path forward," says one employee. This approach seems inevitable, as several teams at Bungie have already been "integrated" into Sony. Sony will likely continue to get more hands-on with Bungie if the studio continues to face successive controversies.
One former...
