A new update has been released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Dubbed City Update 5: European Cities, the update has a trailer that you can check out below. As its name might imply, the update brings a host of European cities to the game.
07.12.2023 - 00:09 / pcgamer.com / Pete Parsons
A new report from IGN says the situation at Bungie following layoffs and reports of sinking Destiny 2 player numbers and revenues is even more dire than is widely known. Morale at the studio has reportedly plummeted amidst what is described by IGN's sources as management indifference, and the report says Bungie could even be subject to a full Sony takeover if the upcoming Destiny 2 expansion The Final Shape fails to meet expectations.
The layoff of roughly 100 Bungie employees in October triggered outrage among Destiny 2's players, who were particularly angry to see veteran employees including composers Michael Salvatori and Michael Sechrist, and well-known social media reps, put out of work. The situation was made worse by a ham-fisted public statement from CEO Pete Parsons, who seemed to be doing his best to portray himself as an innocent bystander in the process, rather than the person ultimately responsible for the decision.
But it wasn't just fans who were upset. Employee morale at Bungie has also crashed, according to IGN, and not just because of the job cuts: The report says Bungie has embarked on a number of cost-cutting measures including a hiring freeze, reducing travel budgets, eliminating holiday bonuses, and curtailing or ending other employee programs and benefits. Making matters worse, multiple employees told the site that management doesn't seem particularly interested in hearing their concerns.
«It feels like many higher-ups aren’t listening to the data and are like, ‘We just need to win our fans back, they still like us’,» one employee said. «No. They don’t… We got rid of some of our most knowledgeable beloved folks who have been here for 20+ years. Everyday I walk in afraid that I or my friends are next. No one is safe.»
That «no one is safe» feeling is exacerbated by worries about the Destiny 2 expansion The Final Shape, which was recently delayed from a planned release in February to June 4. As the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga that has been the narrative backbone of Destiny since the release of the original game, expectations for The Final Shape are very high and Bungie simply cannot afford to get it wrong. But the current state of player dissatisfaction with Destiny 2 and extended wait for the expansion has put the studio in an even tougher spot, and one source said the feeling among employees is that «we're definitely looking at more layoffs» if The Final Shape doesn't do well.
For once, that outcome could even reach all the way to upper management. When Sony acquired Bungie in 2022 it said the studio would operate as an "independent subsidiary," headed by Parsons, who remained as CEO following the takeover, and with a board of directors split between
A new update has been released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Dubbed City Update 5: European Cities, the update has a trailer that you can check out below. As its name might imply, the update brings a host of European cities to the game.
The Crew is being taken off the streets: Ubisoft announced today that sales of its online racing game have been halted on all storefronts, and it will no longer be playable on any platform after March 31, 2024.
Lies of P developer NEOWIZ has just released a new update for the Soulslike game. The 1.4.0.0 patch adds the following three Winter Festival items, available for free to all players:
Capcom unveiled Monster Hunter Wilds at tonight's Game Awards live show, and it looks like a long-awaited mix of Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise.
Destiny 2 developer Bungie are staring down the barrel of a full Sony takeover if forthcoming expansion The Final Shape doesn’t meet sales expectations, according to several anonymous current and former employees. The same sources also claim that the studio are prepared to cut staff again to meet their financial obligations as a Sony subsidiary, having laid off a significant proportion of their workforce in November.
Around a month on from a major round of layoffs, Bungie developers have opened up to IGN about low morale within the studio, and the risks that Sony could take away the autonomy of what is currently an independent subsidiary of Sony if they cannot meet financial targets.
When PlayStation’s acquisition of Bungie was finalized last year, it happened under special circumstances for the latter in particular. Bungie has remained fully autonomous and continues to function as an independent subsidiary under Sony’s ownership, though it seems the studio might be under threat of losing that special status, as per a report published by IGN.
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The tumultuous saga at Bungie continues, with a new report from IGN claiming the studio may be completely taken over by Sony depending on the performance of June 2024's Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
Employees at Destiny 2 developer Bungie have said they feel anxious about their current status at the company, following layoffs earlier this year.
Around a month on from a major round of layoffs, Bungie developers have opened up to IGN about low morale within the studio, and the risks that Sony could take away the autonomy of what is currently an independent subsidiary of Sony if they cannot meet financial targets.
Last year, Sony acquired Halo creator and Destiny developer Bungie, but in October, it was hit with mass layoffs. Now, a report from IGN claims that developers within the company fear a Sony takeover and further outsourcing.