Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Destiny 2 studio Bungie hit by layoffs, internal game delays

Amid a wave of layoffs at Destiny developer and Sony subsidiary Bungie this week, Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Marathon have both reportedly been delayed.

On Monday morning, tweets from developers revealed that Bungie, which was acquired by Sony in January 2022, was suffering layoffs. This was followed up by a report from Bloomberg that went into more detail about the layoffs and their impact on Bungie’s future games. Sony and Bungie have not officially commented on the delays yet, although the Bloomberg article mentions that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons will hold a team meeting later today to discuss the layoffs further. This all follows contractor layoffs at Sony studio Naughty Dog earlier this month, which happened as that studio struggles to develop and release a The Last of Us multiplayer game. 

A runner runs in Marathon.
Bungie

Bloomberg suggests that these layoffs, like others at Sony this year, are tied to internal game delays. While Destiny 2: The Final Shape is publicly slated to come out in February 2024, Bungie reportedly told staff that it’s now going to come out in June 2024. Meanwhile, we learned that Bungie’s revival of Marathon was apparently targeting a 2024 launch — although no release window was given officially — but will now come out sometime in 2025. These delays make the PlayStation 5’s 2024 game lineup look pretty sparse right now outside of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and it suggests that Destiny 2’s next season will be one of its longest.

As of now, Sony and Bungie have not publicly commented on the layoffs or delays, but we will update this post when they do say more about it.

Editors' Recommendations

Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Get these 6 PlayStation VR2 launch games to showcase its features
A side view of the PlayStation VR2, which sits on a wood table.

If you're planning on buying a PlayStation VR2 at launch, be prepared for an intimidating process as you decide which games to pick up first. Early adopters will have a lot of options to choose from, as Sony's latest headset will support over 40 games at launch. The bulk of those, though, are ports of preexisting VR games from the past few years. That makes it a little tricky to figure out which games actually showcase what the PSVR2 is capable of and which will feel like a dated experience that doesn't benefit from new tech.

To help guide you, we've spent time playing through a wide variety of launch titles, from classics like Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge all the way to Horizon Call of the Mountain. While there are plenty of games that we've enjoyed, including charmers like What the Bat? and Jurassic World Aftermath Collection, six games in particular act as great showcases for various PSVR2 features. Whether you're looking to test its power, Sense controllers, or audio options, you'll want to put these six games in your digital shopping cart.
Horizon Call of the Mountain

Read more
CES 2023: Gran Turismo 7 is coming to PS VR2 as a launch game
A driver holds a wheel in a car in Gran Turismo 7 VR.

Gran Turismo was the most dominant PlayStation franchise at CES 2023, appearing twice during Sony's January 4 press conference. We not only got a first look at the upcoming Gran Turismo movie, but learned that Gran Turismo 7 will get PlayStation VR2 support as well. 
During the press conference, Sony confirmed that more than 30 games will be available for PlayStation VR2 at launch, including Horizon Call of the Mountain, No Man's Sky, and Resident Evil Village. In addition to a Beat Saber port, Sony also announced that Gran Turismo 7 will get a free update to add PlayStation VR2 support when the headset launches on February 22. We also saw some gameplay footage of Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation VR2, which showed an impressive amount of detail as a player drove from a first-person perspective.
CES® 2023 Press Conference|Sony Official
While video game and VR fans will love that announcement, that wasn't even the series' first appearance at the show. Series creator and producer Kazunori Yamauchi appeared earlier to introduce the series, highlight the GT Sophy racing AI, and tease the Gran Turismo movie. We then learned more about the film as Sony Picture's Sanford Panitch, PlayStation Productions' Asad Qizilbash, and movie Director Neill Blomkamp took the stage. 
They discussed PlayStation's growing efforts in the entertainment industry and how the Gran Turismo movie will follow the story of a gamer who goes from playing Gran Turismo in his parent's basement to a professional racer. The film just finished shooting, and Blomkamp took time to explain how the Sony Venice 2 camera's detachable sensor allowed them to get unusual Imax resolution shots. We then got a first look at the film in a sneak peek video:
GRAN TURISMO – Exclusive Sneak Peek
While the movie's appearance alone would have been a strong showing for this franchise, Gran Turismo reemerged during the PlayStation VR2 segment of the press conference. If you're a Gran Turismo fan, CES 2023 was certainly a treat for you! Gran Turismo 7 gets PlayStation VR2 support on February 22, while the Gran Turismo movie will hit movie theaters this August. 

Read more
Destiny 2: Where is Xur for the weekend of December 30
destinys weekend vendor xur extends stay psnxbox live hacks destiny

Seasoned Destiny 2 players know they can count on the elusive merchant Xur to make an appearance with special exotic items every Friday, but what's not so clear is where you'll be able to find him. Below, you'll find a map with a marker that indicates where Xur is, as well as a list of his wares.

Who is Xur?
If you're new to Destiny 2 and need a bit more information about how this works, you should know that Xur is a special vendor who sells exotic weapons and armor. Each week, he comes to the solar system with a slate of goods, including an exotic weapon and one piece of exotic armor for each character class. As of The Witch Queen, he now stocks legendary armor and weapons and sells additional exotic weapons with random rolls every week.
Where to find Xur (December 30 to January 2)
The trouble with Xur is finding him. We always know when Xur will show up -- at the 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET reset each Friday. The question is where Xur will be. Previously in Destiny 2, Xur’s location was marked on the map. He’s now unmarked and harder to find each weekend. Here’s where to go to track down Xur, the Agent of the Nine, as well as everything you need to know about what he’s offering this week.

Read more