In a stunning display of greed and mismanagement, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced today that 220 employees, approximately 17% of the company’s workforce, have been laid off. This follows a pattern of appalling decisions by Bungie’s top leadership, culminating in the community’s outrage and demands for Parsons to step down. Among those laid off were many talented individuals directly responsible for the critical success of the recent The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2, including the incredible Kwan Perng (@kperng on Twitter), the Narrative Lead on the project.
Well, I'm not longer at Bungie. It's been quite the ride. Being the Narrative Lead on The Final Shape was immensely rewarding. I don't know what lies ahead for me, but I'm feeling optimistic and looking forward to a break
Thanks to the Destiny community, and to all my colleagues
— Kwan Perng (@kperng) July 31, 2024
Amidst this turmoil, it has come to light that Pete Parsons has spent an obscene amount of money on personal luxuries. Since September of 2022, Parsons has seemingly purchased more than two dozen cars, including numerous classics worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The total spending, as calculated by the auction site BringATrailer.com, shows that Parsons has splurged over $2,400,000 on vehicles.
This shocking revelation includes many other bids for classic cars he lost, further highlighting his reckless spending which includes one winning, a 1971 Porsche 911S Coupe, from November 22, 2023 for $201,000 just by itself, not even a full month after the initial round of layoffs he decreed.
“In case anyone’s interested, that list adds up to $2,414,500. If Glassdoor isn’t full of shit, the average salary for a game developer is $88,150 (Not including specialism specific pay). That’s 27 people’s worth of yearly salaries on cars in two years. He could’ve paid 13 of those people full salary for two years instead of buying cars for two years.”
–Caedis-6 on Reddit
The fortune Parsons has squandered can be traced back to his deal with Sony Interactive Entertainment, money that many have stated could have been used to save dozens of jobs. Instead, it was funneled into his extravagant car collection, which he has shamelessly flaunted to his employees. One former Bungie employee recounted being invited to Parsons’ home to witness his car collection just two days before being laid off, a cruel and thoughtless act that underscores Parsons’ disconnect from the real-life consequences of his decisions.
https://twitter.com/thesambartley/status/1818678522397049082
Notice that Parsons Twitter (now X) account is locked, something the disgraced Bungie CEO did earlier today briefly amidst all the backlash he received for his greed. Notice that his bio says “be brave, be kind”, something many have pointed out to be nothing more than a cruel joke after all Parsons and his fellow executive team has done to their own.
An ex-employee of #Bungie who was laid off, calls on Bungie CEO Pete Parsons to step down, also says he is a liar and a thief, and claims this isn't on #Sony but Bungie leadership.
Pete has also supposedly bought a whopping 24 vehicles from a single auction site, since the… pic.twitter.com/MefzRWgojR
— NIB (@nib95_) July 31, 2024
This motherfucker Pete Parsons has apparently bought 17 CARS since the start of 2023!?!? https://t.co/0odE0UmCis pic.twitter.com/S3NoSn6yyg
— DestinyNostalgia (@DestinyNostalgi) July 31, 2024
— DestinyNostalgia (@DestinyNostalgi) July 31, 2024
Parsons’ latest announcement marks another chapter in a series of devastating decisions by Bungie’s leadership. He claimed that the layoffs were necessary due to a “quality miss with Destiny 2: Lightfall” and an increased focus on the upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon among reasons. Yet, the gaming community remains unimpressed and outraged, given the critical success of The Final Shape expansion and the indifference towards Marathon. Especially since it was reported that Bungie had a designated $1.2 BILLION for keeping its own in-house talent after the acquisition with Sony. Many are now wondering where that money went, considering the hundreds of employees, allegedly between 25% to 35% of its total staff, that were let go since 2023.
Pete Parson's Collections page is crazy. pic.twitter.com/EIiqsTC3Uv
— ً (@Jeddi__) July 31, 2024
From the blog post today, Parsons had the audacity to claim that these layoffs would “affect every level of the company, including most of our executive and senior leader roles.” This hollow statement feels like nothing less than a transparent attempt to deflect blame from where it rightfully belongs. It’s clear to everyone that the highest levels of leadership, the very individuals responsible for this crisis, will remain unaffected by these layoffs but will instead, most likely benefit from it significantly.
Pete Parsons and his cronies must be held accountable for their relentless greed and disastrous mismanagement. The gaming community and the hardworking employees of Bungie deserve better. It’s time for real change at Bungie, starting with the immediate resignation of Pete Parsons. This pattern of abuse and mismanagement cannot continue. The fate of a beloved company and the livelihoods of its dedicated employees depend on it.
