The last couple of months have been a real drag for fans of the works of Destiny 2 developer Bungie and even more of a drag for those who actually work there. By now, if you have been following the news cycle at all, you would have heard about their continued radical mismanagement, something with which Bungie’s name has become synonymous across the gaming industry. From misspending, laying off its workforce by roughly 8%, missing financial projections, and continuing to nosedive the Destiny franchise into the ground, you have probably heard it all before. And it doesn’t seem like things are getting better.
From one misstep after another, Bungie seems to desperately want to outdo itself by proving it can go lower in terms of dragging down its own reputation among its loyal yet dwindling fanbase and even its peers across the industry. That said, Bungie, in and of itself, is not exactly to blame here, at least not as an individual entity across the board. After all, the company is comprised of hundreds of people, many of whom want to see Destiny reach its potential and beyond, just like the echo chamber of diehard players on Reddit do. But if you want to point fingers, but not witch hunt, then who really is to blame for the frequent repeat of mistakes?
The leadership. No one else.
We have heard rumors and grumblings of a somewhat nameless, shadowy group among Bungie’s higher-ups that most of us have never heard of. It seems that from every angle, this Bungie Illuminati, as it were, is responsible for nearly all the bad choices made to their intellectual property, in addition to its mistreatment of the company’s core philosophy, ideology, and handling of its own staff. And while this entire article focuses on some tongue-in-cheek conjecture, we have to point out that we don’t truly know what happens within the inner sanctum and confines of Bungie’s walls. But things still need to change.
What we do know, is that Bungie is in desperate need of house cleaning, starting with its executive team and board of directors, something that Sony Interactive Entertainment is undoubtedly considering at this point, after a near $4b acquisition that has brought nothing but headaches and a tarnished brand name to its PlayStation doorsteps. From the top down, Bungie needs to purge itself of greedy businessmen and women who care nothing of the player experience but only what they can contribute to their bottom line. After all, you are but a dollar sign representative of how much they can squeeze from you, nothing more.
As for those who we suggest be evaluated first, based on whatever performance measurements are in place to keep them in their positions of power, we think anyone with “Chief” in their title is a good place to start. Here is a list comprised of but not limited to those most responsible among Bungie’s leadership:
- Pete Parsons: Chief Executive Officer | Chairman
- Danielle Porter: Chief Financial Officer
- Jonny Ebbert: Chief Creative Officer
- Ondraus Jenkins: Chief Strategy/Business Officer
- Patrick OKelley: Chief Operating Officer | President
- Jason Jones: Chief Vision Officer | Co-Founder
Out of everyone on this list, Jason Jones is an interesting case, in more ways than one. And we wanted to look a little deeper into the mind of such a high-profile figurehead, despite his low-profile online presence. As a Co-Founder and current Chief Vision Officer (whatever the hell that means), Jason’s vision is one that is… pretty out there, to say the least. Speaking in a Destiny 2 showcase back in 2021, here is what Jones had to say about AR replacing mobile phones and that TVs “are going into a landfill”.
“AR is gonna be the thing that displaces mobile [phones]. I’m so sure of that. I’m so sure we’re all going to be wearing [AR] glasses. And all the TVs are gonna go in a landfill. All those [TV] companies are going to go out of business. All the cracks in our ceiling are going to get fixed in our glasses. So many people are going to end up with virtual pets and [AR] windows out to the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower. Maybe it’ll be… 20 years? I think it’s gonna be a lot sooner than that, and I think it’s going to be really interesting.”
Yeah, this guy is a f*cking wacko. No wonder Bungie’s leadership is constantly making bad choices. This is probably not the guy you want leading your “vision” or whatever he is talking about. Say what you will about anyone on this list, something about Jason Jones just bothers us. The guy just seems like a completely out-of-touch eccentric who has a terrible vision for the company, if you even want to call it that. Unless that vision is seeing it completely run into the ground, missing 45% revenue projections, having a tarnished reputation since the inception of Destiny, and having the entire fanbase joined in an uproar about how poorly managed the company is- in which case, he would be knocking it out of the park.
Of course, we do not know Jason or any other single individual on this list on a personal level, so we are not able to judge them based on their character. On top of that, it could very well be true that some, but not all, are more responsible for mismanaging Bungie than others. However, even if that were true, these individuals are jointly responsible for the growth and prosperity of the company. And when one fails, they all fail. This may sound harsh but that is how teamwork is. And if they can’t carry their respective departments, they deserve to be replaced.
Think about it- every single issue that has been plaguing Bungie, falls into each one of their departments. The Chief Executive oversees everything, so he is among the most to blame, while the layoffs and financially disastrous situation Bungie is currently in taps directly into the Chief Financial, Chief People, Strategy, Operating, and Vision (seriously, what the f*ck does this mean?) Officer’s very veins.
Another interesting standout is the Chief Creative Officer, Jonny Ebbert, who is directly responsible for overseeing the game narrative. This guy is f*cking up just as badly as anyone else on this list but perhaps even more so by having the worst new-player experience we have ever seen in any game ever. And if Ebbert was the one overseeing Lightfall, one of the most poorly received expansions in Bungie’s history, this guy, and especially this guy, needs to go. Just look at his Linkedin. Every single thing he lists about himself and his role is something he does poorly or, more specifically, is something Bungie is kind of known for doing/handling poorly across the entire industry. It’s a joke, quite frankly.
From any given perspective, this group of individuals needs to have an employee evaluation that should determine the outcome of their employment. Because at this point, it’s reasonable to say that this leadership group does not know what they are doing. A revolution of sorts needs to happen for if it doesn’t, this sort of thing won’t improve and will continue to plague the industry more than it already does.
Note: This article is just an opinion from a group of passionate gamers that is meant to get you thinking about the structure of Bungie’s leadership. In no way, shape, or form, do we condone harassing anyone, especially those on this list. However, a strongly worded letter demanding their recognition, in a respectable manner, would not be frowned upon.
