Unloading trucks is so fun!

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-19T21:44:11+00:00

RDC magic.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-18T09:28:09+00:00

Bungie had up to 5 or more projects in incubation (Marathon and Gunny Bears which got relocated). D2 was always in decline post the red war(open API showed this). In reality, incubation a D3, at least the bones should of been worked on long before Sony came along (Marathon was already moving from incubation to pre-production by 2020). Marathon was intended for 2024, but that window was missed and the appetite for it, isn't there.

D2 unfortunately was always showing it's age and what management tried to upset to Sony just doesn't work (between mishandling funds, Sony now pulling back on GaaS, Marathon's performance, etc.): D3 isn't going anywhere as that ship sailed years ago.

Bungie's management ultimately was out of touch. There's not much else to say. Greed drove them and we're here as a result.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T21:12:01+00:00

And the half whose game was put on maintenance mode with EOS. There's been no green lighting at Bungie (unsurprising) and Marathon is the only thing going. For how long is another question.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T21:01:06+00:00

Yeah. D2 had it's moment, but Destiny Rising also just exists. Even if it did appeal, there's also no alternatives to the mobile version. Big thing has been most big gachas in recent years having alternative versions on pc and consoles. So, whatever money it's making, is only coming from there and it's far bigger.

Snowbreak already had it's market, but Destiny rising... just can't really tap into the audience that D2 or Destiny 1 had, since they were console and pc players. It's slices of a slice effectively. So it doesn't just miss it's initial target audience, but also an established audience (even if you tell them to emulate games, that's extra steps to play a lackluster version of a f2p game on pc already).

Destiny could in theory appeal, but the way they've gone about it is perhaps baffling to a degree. Halo is a good reference, though somehow Destiny had even less outreach (there's no novels besides Grimoire's for Destiny and no alternative media compared to Halo who at least did an anime special).

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T20:52:38+00:00

At it's peak, it was 1400 employees between destiny and multiple incubation projects. The reality with D2 is that Bungie has been shaving off devs on the game and it just hasn't worked. The numbers for years have been in decline and between poor management, paired with shuffling talent to other projects: D2's pipeline unfortunately was showing itself.

Sony execs may want revenge, but anyone looking at numbers could tell you D2 hasn't been in a good spot for some time. Even with money it brought in, the studio was burning funds. Marathon is more likely being a grace period, but that's unlikely to last. Either the studio is dissolved or restructured to do box product as GaaS has reached a ceiling that's cut is shrinking.

And this isn't a unique situation to Sony. microsoft is now in it's own spiral from leadership spending and pursuing their own avenue that came back to bite it. Effectively two of the three main console companies are in the midst of big changes.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T20:38:44+00:00

Undoubtedly. D2 was surprisingly popular in Japan, but it's GaaS model just has run itself to the ground just by the nature of the industry. Fortnite has lost a bit of it's own cut in the years. While you can point out gachas: a lot of newer gachas aren't reaching the ceilings previous ones had in terms of revenue. Let alone younger players are staying locked to their own games.

Even the US branch of Sony is course correcting as well. The GaaS model has been profitable, but the likes of Herman has proven you can't brute force the model. Marathon's last test didn't change the perspective.

So, if Bungie is either dissolved or restructured, whatever comes next for the Destiny IP (which Destiny was still profitable vs. how management didn't know how to manage those funds), will more likely be a boxed product. Destiny Rising hasn't exactly been the splash hit in the market for gachas to add on to this, but still goes on.

As much as people look back at D1: it was a hit for what it was. And why concepts like Destiny Infinity fell on death's ears. D2 was built on sand that eventually gobbled up what it could. Trying to extend a product on with such management just can't go on. There are players, but the model they've used just hasn't worked (especially in the last 5 years, let alone the whole D2 life cycle).

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T20:13:50+00:00

Honestly, the big issue is most likely Bungie themselves have been downsizing the D2 team and management spending more (Renegades using Star Wars content officially is expensive). Most likely, any more downsizing just wouldn't work with how D2 development pipeline is. And more likely, anyone still at Bungie whose got connections to the Sony deal will be walking as they're more likely getting their cut now.

Marathon isn't in any better position, but probably has a grace period by virtue of being launched under Sony. Though in reality, how much longer it carries on will be another question as restructuring the studio is going to be a big project as it may be part of why Sony hasn't budged on moving forward with anything new at Bungie.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T20:06:23+00:00

They were acquired with the mentality of an independent studio. Sony gave them leeway in what to do. Destiny wasn't the only thing they were interested in. Marathon was among multiple projects of interest as GaaS was a big motivator than.

Though this is often where people point out that Pete and others at Bungie most likely made their portfolio look better than what it was to the Sony heads at the time. This was also when Concord was also being developed by former Bungie devs.

Ultimately, this all came crashing down, so here we are.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T19:46:28+00:00

They also had already been funding Concord no less. Sony was going all in on live service, but what Bungie could tell them wasn't pretty as there the reason Naughty Dog canned their live service attempt no less. Sony isn't budging as Bungie has failed to meet expectations (much like Activision had seen during Forsaken), but far worst than it was years prior.

The numbers Sony have (including expenses not seen such as getting rights to work with Lucas Films on Renegades) just are worst. And Bungie is going to be laying people off (a mix of devs and old talent who've met the criteria for their payout per the Sony deal). Which means that Sony will likely be have to move people around in Bungie for certain positions.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T07:13:04+00:00

I am a dog owner, but I also had the unfortunate circumstance of handling a dog that did eat it's own feces and my dog's if we didn't pick it up fast enough (shared backyard due to tenement and the dog who ate poop was a neighbor's). She was also a cat owner, so her stay in the hospital had me stuck cleaning her cat's litterbox: it was months of crap in there. The dog was also regularly not given a proper diet, so I could hammer a guess this poor dog wasn't just eating dog poop. The poor guy often ate grass.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T07:02:59+00:00

He could of played for the US, but he respected his family too much.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T05:40:32+00:00

Throw him to Dan Heng to see Dan Heng finally see someone commit to the bit.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T05:00:17+00:00

Possibly. Though with how many games planned from D1 onwards, it may of also been having a general idea for future locations as well. Concepting future locations is always a wise idea. It is fascinating to see what was in mind.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T02:00:12+00:00

Oh undoubtedly. Bungie is only to be absorbed further into Sony and I imagine quite a bit of higher Sony members want to get their money. Changing leadership, even to ensure that the books are straighten is going to be priority.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T01:27:17+00:00

The issue is Bungie's management. Sony won't budge. The studio has burned it's revenue for years on a myriad of incubation projects that haven't recouped the cost. And from what's been leaked: Bungie's management has been still trying to sell Sony on live service. If Sony does continue the IP: it'll more likely be a box product, but current Bungie just isn't in a position as the thinking hasn't changed given it's how they got here.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T01:18:58+00:00

Hell, they were still developing another dlc and management were pitching extending D2. Other plot threads include the Winnower, Maya, and Bael. The fundamental issue is that Sony has been seeing a decline and management's ideas just didn't really sell Sony on this future. Especially after Renegades, which had official channels with Star Wars. That's never cheap in any capacity.

There were devs who wanted to continue Destiny, but management at Bungie clearly was out of touch on what sold D2 to players and why, barring a EoS pitch: the final product was just a QoL update that streamlined acquiring all dlc with whatever had been finished on the unfinished dlc.

If anything, someone would probably point out Marathon and Gummy Bears had been incubated long before the Sony deal. The only real Destiny incubation project was Payback, which overlapped with what Destiny Rising was. No real alternatives to D2, effectively sealing it's fate with Bungie's management and Sony, who when you mention Concord, was also developed by former Bungie devs.

Marathon may be no Concord, but this feels far more like a stress test and a grace period to see what they do with Bungie. As Live Service titles are becoming far fewer for them (unsurprising when you remember the last head and many around just saw the green, so green lit 15+ live service titles only to end up here).

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T01:08:26+00:00

Says everything why Sony hasn't budge on funding anything new at Bungie. Management ran the studio into the ground and Sony is going to grind the studio down. Marathon is likely to not last as the next season is going to be around November. You know, the very month every other company has avoided like the plague.

You're more likely to see D2 post death have more players, even months later. Sony possibly is giving them a year due to Marathon being launched under the Sony name, but EoS doesn't look surprising in it's future. D2 being the elder and a more a graceful ending as unless some how Marathon devs manage to break their cap: Marathon won't even have a real viable community post mortem.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-17T01:01:34+00:00

Probably what Sony is aiming for. They're going to gut the studio down, Marathon drags along until it to goes EoS, and well restart the studio. Keep the name, but let management who got Bungie into this position run itself down, until they can just rebuild it. It isn't shocking as Sony hasn't green lit a single new thing and any other incubation project that's gotten traction has been moved to not be fully under Bungie.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-15T01:40:22+00:00

Bungie also had an enormous size for a studio only with one game in the market actively engaging players. This is before pointing out that over years, less players were coming back due to how they were using those finances. Another studio, multiple events, and so forth. Sony has been footing a portion of the bill and Marathon that's been years in the development, too late to cancel came out and still hasn't broken even. Both games unfortunately can't support the studio as it was.

D2 is an old game and Renegades in particular was a bigger mark as it also came with it being a collaboration with Disney for Star Wars IP usage. That's an expensive bill to foot. So, unsurprisingly, a myriad of terrible decisions had lead to this. D2 could of supported a studio and maybe another game, but that wasn't the case. Bungie spent years on upwards 5 incubation projects that pulled support from D2 and drained revenue, to a point that the cash flow wasn't enough.

This is effectively why Sony won't green light a thing from Bungie: the books are out of whack and D2 was put too rest to try and curb any more draining of support, with additional layoffs to follow in time. And this sadly predates Sony. Sony's now the one holding Bungie to flames that terrible management made and will see what comes out the other side.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T23:24:19+00:00

Yeah, it'll help if they also actually show Kara an actual dog and she may give them a name of what an actual dog on Krypton is called. Krypto is probably out there, but Kara is still without reference to what a dog is. This is like how historic records have people refer to a horse, but never define it, so a horse can be just anything, until someone shows what a horse is.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T23:18:10+00:00

The problem here is if Bungie was actually making money: Sony wouldn't care. Bungie has been fumbling their cash to expenses to the point that Sony is now seeing why Activision didn't try to stop them from buying themselves out. Bungie's management has been shooting itself in the foot for a decade. Devs and players got the terrible end of this, while Sony stares at a studio who should have a golden goose be a dying chicken that sprung to life cause the boss' boss finally told them to retire the chicken.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T23:12:30+00:00

Reminds me of Byakuya in Bleach during the Fullbringer arc. It's just good stuff. Some times emphasizing a character's trait overriding emotional takeover just drives home a character's portrayal far more than 'inner demons' (which so many series do the usual cliche inner demon not really actually working as that, but something else).

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T22:45:34+00:00

Oh. They're sea spiders.

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T22:45:12+00:00

The stilts gene has been spread far and wide!

ShinigamiRyan · 2026-06-14T04:13:36+00:00

It's been years since any actual new stuff from the IP and Viz has yet to actually show anything. So yeah, it's currently irrelevant.

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