All articles tagged with #bungie
A Destiny 2 modder is developing a tool called Shadowkeep Singleplayer Exploration Mode to unvault and let players wander vaulted areas from Destiny 2’s pre-vault era (like the Leviathan map) without any mechanics or enemies—pure exploration—providing a nostalgic way to revisit old maps as official updates dwindle.
Bungie is extending Marathon's Vault Breaker PvE beta to August 18 to gather more data on player interest and retention after a July 28 update added a solo queue and enemy AI tweaks, with solo difficulties adjusted and a planned mid-season Season 3 PvE expansion in September; the test has shown only a small blip in concurrent players so far.
Marathon's new update adds Vault Breaker, a two-week, roguelite PvE mode (solo/duo/trio) on the Cryo Archive map as part of Season 2; you upgrade a starting Sponsored Kit with Vault Data earned from raiding vaults and extracting, but Vault Breaker gear cannot be used in the normal game. Vault Data can be spent in the Vault Breaker Armory for gear usable outside the mode, and you can earn Tier One Vault Data for killing a USEC Commander even if you don’t extract. A full PvE mode is planned for Season 3, with Bungie also having layoffs and the departure of Marathon director Joe Ziegler.
Windows Central reports Marathon’s Steam concurrent players have collapsed (roughly 6,000 at peak) compared with Destiny 2’s ~60,000, highlighting Bungie’s pivot from Destiny to Marathon, recent layoffs, and a declining valuation after Sony’s $3.6B acquisition. With Marathon’s game director Joseph Ziegler departed and a two-week limited PvE mode added to Marathon, the studio’s long-term future looks uncertain, potentially as a support studio rather than a leading live-service developer.
Marathon's game director Joe Ziegler is leaving Bungie on July 17, handing leadership to assistant game director Del Chafe III to guide the extraction shooter forward alongside creative director Julia Nardin. The move comes amid a broader Bungie leadership shake-up after mass layoffs and a continued decline in Marathon’s player base, which hit a low around 2,030 players on Steam, with a PvE mode not expected until fall as Sony remains committed to the project.
Bungie reveals a fall rollout for Marathon’s PvE future, launching Vault Breaker—an experimental PvE mode built around Cryo Archive and running July 21–Aug 4—as a bridge to a full PvE experience in Season 3 after September 22; a mid-season update adds a roguelite Cryo Archive variant and balance tweaks to weapons, grenades, bubble shields, and consumables as the team gathers feedback for Season 3.
Bungie gave Destiny 2 players a final farewell by releasing a free Gloriabundus Emblem via Bungie.net, then deployed Patch 9.7.0.3—a small, mostly bug-fix update that also boosts Vanguard/Crucible XP and re-enables wireless tether in Consecrated Mind. The studio suggested this is likely the last patch beyond routine maintenance, though rare hotfixes may appear. After a resurgence of players, Destiny 2 now rests in maintenance mode, with the team significantly reduced by layoffs but a wealth of content left for fans to enjoy.
Sony and Bungie have settled a $200 million wrongful-dismissal lawsuit with Christopher Barrett, the ex-Marathon director, ending claims that the companies smeared his reputation after an internal investigation; the case had bounced between courts, including a prior Delaware dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, before today’s settlement with undisclosed terms. Barrett praised the outcome, while Bungie continues to grapple with significant layoffs affecting hundreds of staff, including most of the Destiny 2 team and Marathon developers.
Sony, Bungie, and former Bungie director Christopher Barrett have settled his $100 million lawsuit alleging termination to dodge roughly $80 million in sale bonuses from Bungie’s 2022 acquisition; Barrett’s name is being added to Marathon’s credits, a stipulation framed as vindication, while Bungie braces for further layoffs and Marathon development continues.
After Bungie’s Destiny 2 support wind-down and mass layoffs, fans released Pete Carsons: The Final Car, a browser game where you throw tomatoes at ex-CEO Pete Parsons and dodge career-mocking cars like Crunch Enforcer and Micromanager. The satire ties to Parsons’ 2025 departure and Bungie’s post-acquisition turmoil, with the “Vault of Cars” boss encounter launching on Bungie Day, July 7, 2026.
Kotaku reports a viral tale of a Marathon player nicknamed Steve who allegedly reached level 45 by only killing robots and avoiding extraction, looting, or quests. While some doubt he’s real, video proof exists, illustrating that tutorials aren’t universal and players can discover systems on their own. After learning more about the game, Steve has started playing Thief and has climbed to at least level 52 with some extractions, showing how one person’s curiosity can shape a game experience.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino says PlayStation will revitalize live-service games by mixing first-party and third-party content, emphasizing ongoing updates and long-term support, including the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, while noting lessons from past missteps and Bungie workforce changes.
Destiny 2’s final hotfix was delayed after Sony laid off part of Bungie’s development team, leaving the patch with no clear new timeline; Bungie says the delay affects a few fixes from the impacted staff but will ship when possible, though the mass layoffs raise questions about fixing remaining issues before Bungie pivots away from Destiny 2.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a notice indicating layoffs at Bellevue-based Bungie, reducing the studio’s staff as part of a broader internal restructuring across its gaming operations.
Bungie announced Vault Breaker, Marathon's new PvE mode that sends players into Cryo Archive’s endgame vaults with solo, duo, or crew options. Unlike typical extraction shooters, loot isn’t kept on exfil; instead players earn Vault Data to upgrade Sponsored Kits, providing PvE progression without flooding the economy with Cryo loot.