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Bungie plots Destiny 2: The Final Shape overhaul in wake of mass layoffs

By Giovanni Colantonio November 2, 2023

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has broken its silence after laying off around 100 staff members earlier this week. The studio posted a blog update that acknowledged the move and teased a major change in plans for Destiny 2‘s next big DLC, The Final Shape.

On Monday, October 30, Bungie laid off a sizable chunk of its staff in departments including community, QA, audio, and more. According to a report from IGN, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons cited Destiny 2‘s declining performance in 2023 as a cause. A report from Bloomberg noted that Bungie’s upcoming projects were internally delayed as part of the move, with The Final Shape quietly moving to June 2024.

Guardians stand together in Destiny 2: The Final Shape key art. — Bungie

Bungie’s blog post didn’t outright confirm that news, but it did heavily tease it. It acknowledges fans’ disappointment with the game’s last year of content, including its Lightfall DLC, and notes that it wants to exceed expectations with The Final Shape.

“To us the path forward is clear: We need to make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience,” the post, attributed to the Destiny 2 dev team, writes. “We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made — a fitting culmination that honors the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years. Forsaken, The Witch Queen, and The Taken King — these are the standard bearers we aim to live up to.”

The post doesn’t exactly clarify what that grand statement means for the DLC’s release date. The post notes that it’ll detail Destiny 2‘s next season in the coming weeks and then focus on sharing Bungie’s “bigger, bolder, and brighter vision” for The Final Shape.

Bungie will have a lot of upset fans to win over when that reveal happens. Some Destiny 2 players have begun refunding their Final Shape pre-orders in response to the layoffs and controversial reports about how they were carried out.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

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