Bungie Cancels ‘Payback’ to Prioritize ‘Marathon’
Two months before this week’s mass layoff of more than 200 staff at Bungie, the studio cancelled ‘Payback,’ a third-person perspective spinoff project set in the Destiny universe. This cancellation was intended to prioritize the development of the upcoming Marathon extraction shooter. The Brooklyn report by Jason Schreier revealed these strategic decisions taken by Bungie’s management.
Overly Ambitious Management Decisions
According to a blog post from Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, some staff found out about the layoffs via this very announcement. The decision marked Bungie’s second significant downsizing within a year. Parsons attributed the layoffs to an overly ambitious management approach that initiated several incubation projects, stretching the development staff too thin. ‘Payback’ was described as a project that would shake up the Destiny formula significantly, incorporating elements from games like Warframe and Genshin Impact.
Restructuring for Financial Stability
Schreier’s findings also dispelled rumors that ‘Payback’ was being developed as a full sequel to Destiny 2. Instead, it was always intended as a spinoff. Additionally, Bungie hasn’t started development on Destiny 3, focusing on maintaining support for Destiny 2, especially after the financial setback from last year’s Lightfall expansion, which was critically deemed a ‘quality miss’ by Parsons.
Change in Content Strategy
Bungie is reportedly shifting away from major annual Destiny 2 expansions due to declining year-over-year sales. The studio plans to release smaller content drops as free updates, following the success of the Into the Light update. Despite these changes, long-serving senior Destiny creatives Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy left the studio. However, it’s worth noting that neither had been actively in charge of Destiny 2 in recent years.
The Impact of ‘The Final Shape’
Astonishingly, despite facing numerous challenges, Bungie’s ‘The Final Shape’ expansion has been a success with players and critics, potentially entering the game of the year discussions. Nevertheless, player numbers are now substantially lower than they were following the lightfall launch, indicating a potential shift in the Destiny universe’s engagement and future direction.