Acquisitions in the video game world are quite common, with large companies seeking to benefit from talented studios. At one time, Bungie was one of these studios. This development team’s success led to multiple acquisitions until Sony and PlayStation finally took over.
Currently, this studio is going through a rough patch, having just laid off more than 220 employees and canceled a major project that was in development, the origins of which are unknown. According to new reports, Microsoft and Xbox were looking to acquire this studio in 2021, but it seems they dodged a bullet.
Bungie Was Almost Acquired by Microsoft in 2021, but the Company Decided Not to Go Through With It
Despite having created the first three games of one of the most profitable video game franchises, Halo, Bungie is a company that continued to reinvent itself and also managed to launch a successful Game-as-a-Service that still has a loyal player community today.
Destiny had two installments that capitalized on their peak moments. Unfortunately, in recent years, this has changed significantly.
The development team confirmed this week that they will lay off about 220 employees. The studio issued an official notice on their website stating that this staff reduction would affect all projects.
As was reported by The Verge, Microsoft was close to acquiring Bungie and Sega but reconsidered.
Ms Definitely dodged bullet, imo Bungie is not what it used to be and praises it get for its past.
— HazzadorGamin, Dragon of Dojima (@HazzadorGamin) August 3, 2024
Prior to these issues, the company had already shown difficulties in managing budgets and development timelines. When Sony and PlayStation acquired this company, they probably decided to ignore these warnings. Apparently, Microsoft did not ignore the warnings and chose not to purchase this studio in 2021.
Sony and PlayStation Probably Did Not Make the Best Decision When Acquiring This Studio
The publishers behind games like God of War acquired Bungie in 2022. However, a year earlier, Microsoft had planned to acquire this studio, but ultimately decided against it potentially due to the complexity of working with them.
Clearly, the company made a wise decision by not proceeding with this purchase. To date, aside from some collaborations, the studio has practically done nothing but work on Destiny 2.
Rumors suggest that the developer’s main managers have made controversial expenditures and have not effectively managed the projects they are involved in.
This is not the first time the company has faced pressure from a larger company or investors, and there are always issues when it comes to working efficiently. This type of rumor and news does not bode well for the studio’s reputation, which is already going through one of its worst moments since its inception.
Another project this studio had was a remake of one of its early games, Marathon, which was also a first-person action game with some futuristic features.
The status of the studio’s projects is unknown. All members and executives are working diligently to organize and restructure everything following this week’s layoffs. It has already been confirmed that games like Destiny 2 will be affected by this.
What are your thoughts on this acquisition that didn’t happen? Let us know in the comments!
