Bungie Bungled

Episode 172 It has been over two years since Sony purchased Bungie for 3.6 billion dollars in an effort to bolster its live-service efforts, and the results have been...less than stellar. Now in the wake of mass layoffs, we take stock of where Bungie is as a studio and discuss why their crown jewel, Destiny, has lost much of its luster. We also discuss Bungie's now-uncertain future, and how Marathon may hold the key to their survival. As always, we conclude with the games we're playing (A Plumber For All Seasons, Linkito, Super Mario Odyssey). This episode was recorded in August 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Check us out on Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter at @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Bungie Downsizing and The Current State of Destiny 7:58 - The Acquisition 13:20 - Marathon and Sony's Ill-Advised Pivot 20:26 - Bungie and Destiny's Uncertain Future 33:14 - Bungie's New Splinter Studio and Bloated AAA Dev Times 38:52 - A Plumber For All Seasons 42:55 - Linkito 48:26 - Revisiting Super Mario Odyssey