Bungie execs reportedly killed Destiny 2 subscription service as management “prioritised monetisation over player experience”

Bungie is in a terrible position with Destiny 2 player numbers plummeting—no longer exacerbated by the game’s awful onboarding for new players—and recent controversies surrounding mass plagiarism in its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon.

Once the golden child of the games industry, the FPS developer has been described as trapped in “free fall”, and there’s only more bad news surrounding the studio. In a video report by YouTuber and journalist Destin Legarie, the studio was described as “toxic” as executives continuously “shut down creatives on a core level”.

Destiny 2 subscription service was “vehemently shut down”

In the investigation, Legarie spoke to numerous former Bungie employees who explained that the studio’s management would constantly shut down ideas to improve Destiny 2 and other products. One employee explained that if the studio’s management “didn’t think of it, [then] it wasn’t worth doing”.

Another former employee explained that “Bungie’s problems stem from a lack of player empathy, disconnected leadership, and a corporate-first culture” with ideas to improve the player experience shut down unless they can result in more money for executives.

In the report, it was explained that management was concerned about the glowing Trials of Osirirs armour as it was too attractive. Bungie management reportedly claimed that offering the armour with the DLC would cut into sales of the Eververse store. Employees at the studio would reportedly be given “monetization scolding” for ideas that would cut into sales of other products.

One former developer explained that the core issue of the studio is that it always “prioritised monetisation over player experience” with another blaming every core issue at the studio being caused by “greed”.

Bungie has often been blasted online for its terrible handling of Destiny 2, including its decision to remove paid content from the game in its Vaulting process. Alongside repeated instances of plagiarism, the studio was criticised for mass layoffs while executives were buying dozens of cars.

The studio is still working on future content for Destiny 2, and there’s no word on whether there will be a third entry in the series. Marathon, the studio’s extraction shooter that was recently found to have plagiarised a Scottish artist, is set for release on September 23, 2025. The studio was acquired by PlayStation in 2022 for $3.7 billion.