Bungie Was Near Shutdown Before Sony’s $3.6 Billion Acquisition, Former Employee Says
Updated
Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jun 15
Bungie Was Near Shutdown Before Sony’s $3.6 Billion Acquisition, Former Employee Says
3 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jun 15
Summary
Liana Ruppert, a former Bungie community manager, said the studio was already “below the red line” before Sony bought it in 2022 and was very close to shutting down at least Destiny.
Her account challenges fan claims that Sony caused Destiny 2’s decline, describing the takeover instead as an “emergency acquisition” after Bungie’s problems had begun pre-Sony.
Those struggles have shown up in repeated layoffs, monetization changes and release-schedule shifts, suggesting Bungie had been straining to keep Destiny 2 viable for years.
Sony earlier disclosed a $765 million impairment tied to Marathon’s underperformance and Destiny 2’s weakness, underscoring that Bungie’s financial pressure has continued even after the deal.
The comments land as Destiny 2 reaches its final update and Bungie keeps backing Marathon, despite a recent Destiny 2 player spike that renewed debate over where Sony and Bungie should invest.