Bungie Is Reportedly Not Engaged on Future 3, Will Concentrate on Smaller Future 2 Updates That Could Be Free

Following the information that Bungie laid off 220 individuals, particulars have reportedly been revealed in regards to the firm’s future, together with that it’s not presently engaged on Future 3, that it’ll shift its focus from bigger expansions to smaller updates for Future 2 that could be free, and {that a} Future spin-off was canceled.

Bloomberg spoke to 10 present and former Bungie staff who requested to not be recognized, they usually “described an organization that grew too quick and tried to develop too many tasks without delay, spreading assets too skinny somewhat than prioritizing its chief moneymaker, Future 2.”

As an alternative of Future 3, Bungie Positioned a Large Guess on Payback

Whereas there could also be many who believed Bungie was laborious at work on Future 3, particularly contemplating Future 2 was launched in 2017, the studio determined to shift its focus to one thing fully new known as Payback.

Payback, which was described as taking parts from such video games as Warframe and Genshin Impression, was set within the Future universe however was meant to “shake up the formulation in main methods.” As an alternative of being a first-person shooter, Payback was being developed as a third-person title that will see gamers utilizing the franchise’s characters to discover a big world and work collectively to “battle monsters and remedy puzzles.”

This was not being billed as a sequel to Future 2, however extra of a spin-off. Sadly, Payback was canceled simply two months in the past so Bungie might prioritize its extra imminent video games. As an alternative, it moved a lot of the payback workforce to work on Marathon, its PvP-focused extraction shooter live-service recreation which is about to be launched in 2025.

With no Payback and no Future 3 within the close to future, Bungie is planning to proceed supporting Future 2, albeit otherwise. Regardless of Future 2’s The Closing Form growth reviewing very nicely – we gave it a 9/10 – the studio appears to be like to “not pursue paid expansions because it did prior to now.” In line with one of many sources, gross sales for every growth have declined yr after yr.

As an alternative of this annual launch mannequin for giant expansions, Bungie appears to be like to “retain and appeal to gamers with smaller-scale drops modeled after Into the Mild.” For these unfamiliar, Into the Mild was launched forward of The Closing Form and added the Onslaught exercise, the Corridor of Champions social house, Parade Armor 2.0, the return of 12 iconic weapons with the BRAVE Arsenal, and way more.

Moreover, Bungie is aiming to launch these updates without cost alongside overhauling actions it hopes will preserve its hardcord participant happy. There are additionally “different obscure plans” that embody a storyline that “will function characters and worlds that Future has not but explored.”

So, as a substitute of massive new Future 2 expansions, Bungie will put assets into these updates, a smoother onboarding course of, and extra. In a single brilliant spot, a number of the sources stated they’re “optimistic in regards to the imaginative and prescient for Future 2 below new director Tyson Inexperienced.”

Hassle on the High

The layoffs have hit the workforce laborious, and most people Bloomberg spoke to had been crucial of Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, saying he “didn’t take accountability for his personal dangerous bets” and that he was “overly optimistic in his communication with the workers.”

There may be additionally fear as a result of longtime veterans Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy left Bungie this week, and that has led to a variety of “lingering questions on the way forward for decision-making at Bungie.” Now, with out a few of its leaders, an enormous hit to audio, narrative, and participant assist groups, and way more, Bungie workers at the moment are taking a look at creating world-class experiences with a “smaller workers, tighter schedules, and an organization that appears considerably completely different than it did three days in the past.”

Along with the layoffs, Bungie is hoping to maneuver 155 of its staff to Sony Interactive Leisure, and a seperate group might be a part of a workforce engaged on an incubation undertaking code-named Gummybears.

Ever since Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, issues haven’t gotten higher. Bungie took that money and “employed a whole bunch of latest workers members and pursued myriad incubation tasks, together with cell variations of Future, remakes of previous video games and new franchises.” Now, it is most essential former and present staff are struggling after a few of these plans by no means noticed the sunshine of day or turned out as these in cost hoped. One of many sources even famous that Parsons instructed workers in a gathering in later 2023 that Bungie had missed its income targets by 45% and was shedding cash.

For extra, take a look at how one other former Bungie worker claimed the studio confronted insolvency with out Sony’s acquistion and the video games trade’s criticism of Bungie mangagement and Parsons in wake of those layoffs.

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Adam Bankhurst is a author for IGN. You possibly can comply with him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.