Bungie has emerged as as a leading PlayStation first party studio, with more than 1400 employees working at the studio post-acquisition.
A job listing for the position of Payroll Manager at the studio has revealed that the studio now has over 1400 employees. Bungie was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in January, 2022, after which it appears to have expanded considerably, become a leading PlayStation first party studio.
The listing states that the new recruit will will lead a comprehensive payroll function overseeing a diverse workforce of 1,400 employees across the U.S., Netherlands, Japan, and Canada. Prior to the being acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the studio had a workforce of around 900 employees.
The studio has since expanded considerably, as it is currently involved with multiple projects, including Destiny 2 expansions, Marathon, and a brand new IP. Regarding the latter, it was reported via an earlier job listing for the position of a Lead VFX Artist that the project is a departure from the studio’s prior games, though it follows the GaaS model. The listing stated that, not only is the game a brand new IP, but it belongs to a new genre that “combines amazing action feel with lighthearted and whimsical characters”. The game is also said to feature “joyful” PvP combat. Interestingly, several of the job listings for this project sought Unreal engine experience from candidates, suggesting that the game may be in development in Unreal Engine 5.
Bungie’s Destiny 2 is an online first-person shooter that was initially a pay-to-play game in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. It later transitioned to a free-to-play model under the New Light title on October 1, 2019. The game was later released on Stadia in November 2019, followed by PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms in December 2020. Activision published the game until December 31, 2018, when Bungie acquired the franchise’s publishing rights. Serving as the sequel to 2014’s Destiny, Destiny 2 is set in a “mythic science fiction” world, featuring a multiplayer shared world environment with role-playing elements.