Lin Tao, who serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Sony, just recently made a statement that could be regarded as both a bomb and a monkey on the back in the gaming industry at the same time. During a financial conference, he openly admitted that Destiny 2 has basically been a non-starter for Sony with Bungie and for that reason the company had to take an impairment loss’ against the studio. In less complicated terms, this is a no-win situation for the business. The revenues and customer engagement have not reached the heights that Sony thought would be the case when they acquired Bungie for a whopping $3.6 billion.
The reactions from the gamers on social media have indeed been a wild ride. The gamers are very much open about their view on this matter. One of the gamers said pretty straightforwardly: “Bungie is so fucked,” which indeed reflects the general mood in the community regarding this issue. Along with the gamers, some are blaming the decisions made at the top level in Bungie, one comment reads: “Get rid of them and clean the place! The way they have mishandled the Destiny franchise and what they have done with the money is ridiculous 2 billion for keeping the staff and then firing 19% of the staff.” The disappointment is very much there, and it is almost as if you can feel it coming through the screen.
Nevertheless, it is really difficult to comprehend how divisive the question of responsibility is. Some people immediately point their fingers at Sony, but most of the responses are naming Bungie as the main culprit. One player expressed it in an extremely blunt way: “This is totally Bungie’s fault and their stupid decisions.” Another commentator even said that “Bungie was worthless long before Sony even considered buying them,” which is very painful for the studio that once delivered us Halo, Fade on the Rings today.
The announcement couldn’t have found a worse time to come out since only days before, Sony had also informed that the next game from Bungie, Marathon, needs to be out by March 2026 otherwise there will be no release. Talk about extreme stress! Gamers are already questioning this project, one saying, “Marathon is DOA,” and another asserting “That’s what happens when you forsake your cash cow for an unrequested game in a totally different genre that nobody asked for.” Some people think that Bungie has taken away the focus from Destiny to be busy with the other game that no one was interested in, and now both the projects are suffering.
Many players are nostalgic about the good old days of Destiny, and their feelings are expressed in some of the comments. One veteran player wrote: “I had the urge to go back and play Destiny but it just didn’t appeal to me anymore. I long for the old days but it is the right time to let it die.” It’s that quintessential case of a game that just can’t stop being great but loses the support of its loyal players who have been with it through its ups and downs and are now finally ready to give up.
The financial implications in this case are quite severe. When a giant corporation like Sony decides to write off as an impairment loss, they are practically admitting that their acquisition has lost its value considerably. For Bungie, this could mean even stricter budgets, more pressure to deliver, and more layoffs on top of the recently announced staff cut of 19%. A player jokingly commented, “Oh nooo, I guess that after that and Marathons flop, Bungie has no other option but to create a game like Killzone or Resistance which is a similar vein to halo now,” which is a humorous remark but also highlights the dire situation that the company might find itself in.
Moreover, some of the players have started to propose what they consider to be the solutions for the situation to improve. One user said, “Bungie should release Destiny 2 for Nintendo Switch 2 ASAP so that at least it will help somewhat in reviving the player base of Destiny 2.” Others are calling for a complete reboot: “It’s time for a Destiny 3 with a new approach.” But there are also the skeptics who remind us, “I can’t think of anyone who would be willing to play this for free only if they make it free to play and then some to get any goodwill back or a new player base.”
What is really impressive is the level to which the issue has become personal for so many people. Destiny was such a significant presence in the gaming world that the conclusion of this battle feels like the end of an epoch. The comments that range from anger to disappointment and even sadness over the extinction of Destiny are being acknowledged. One of the remarks said, “Disgraceful everywhere. It is a pity that this is the end of it all,” and one can almost listen to the sigh behind these words. Furthermore, there is also an increasing number of complaints regarding the technical side of things.
