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Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2 and the upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, has gone through a “structural reform” following the high-profile delay of its next big project.
In a Q&A following Sony’s latest financial report, Sony CFO Lin Tao explained that Bungie’s “independence is getting lighter” as the company issues more oversight onto the previously self-managed studio.
Destiny 2 studio loses more independence
Tao explained that Sony is working to properly integrate Bungie into PlayStation Studios as the company takes more control over the Destiny 2 developer’s decisions.
“About the governance of Bungie, at the time of acquisition we were offering a very independent environment, so that was one way of thinking,” Tao told shareholders. “However, thereafter, we have gone through structural reform, as we announced last year, so this independence is getting lighter, and Bungie is shifting into a role which is becoming more part of PlayStation Studios, and integration is proceeding.”
Tao confirmed that this is an “ongoing process” with no specific timeframe attached. However, the end goal is to make Bungie more reliant on the managerial decisions of PlayStation following its past decade of independence.
What about Marathon?
As for Marathon, Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, that title still doesn’t have a concrete release date. Following its delay due to heavy plagiarism as well as core gameplay issues, Bungie’s game is currently in a heavy reworking process.
However, Tao explained that the game may be ready for a “March” release, although that date may end up changing. Tao said that a cancellation of the project is “not expected” with Bungie instead working to rework what’s there into a satisfying product.
Tao further explained that a proper announcement should come soon, saying: “We are now doing modifications in development and, based on the progress, in the autumn time frame we believe we can communicate when we can launch [Marathon], either from Bungie or PlayStation.”
Bungie has been in hot water as of late, not just because of its Marathon debacle. With dwindling Destiny 2 player counts, the studio’s main product appears to still be slipping with lower and lower retention every update.
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