BELLEVUE, Wash. — Bellevue-based Bungie announced earlier this week that it is laying off 220 employees as it makes "substantial changes" to its structure.
In a blog post on its website titled "The New Path for Bungie," CEO Pete Parsons laid out why the video game studio is laying off 17% of its workforce.
Parsons said the layoffs will impact every level of the company including most of its executive and senior roles. He said "rising costs of development and industry shifts" have made it "clear" that the company needs to undergo substantial changes to its cost structure.
Going forward, Parsons said the company will focus development entirely on its marquee franchise Destiny and its new PVP extraction shooter Marathon.
"As a result, today we must say goodbye to incredible talent, colleagues, and friends," Parsons said. "This will be a time of tremendous change for our studio."
Part of the refocused efforts for the company that created the juggernaut Halo franchise is greater integration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, including integrating more than 150 roles.
Those impacted by the layoff will be offered an exit package, including severance, bonus and health coverage, the blog post said.
The layoffs follow a greater trend in the games industry as other companies with offices in western Washington have had to reduce their workforces.
In the past year alone, Unity, Xbox and Epic Games have laid off thousands of positions across the country and in western Washington.
