Bungie has confirmed it’s “exploring choices” to sublease 210,984 sq. ft of its large headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, saying the transfer displays its continued give attention to a “digital first” mannequin.
Following main layoffs throughout Bungie’s workforce in June, the studio has made the choice to put a big chunk of its Bellevue headquarters up for sublease, that means that it’ll be renting out elements of the area to a 3rd get together (or events).
The Game Post broke the information after reportedly reviewing a 10-page commercial for the constructing in a business leasing brochure, which acknowledged that 210,984 sq. ft of the constructing will likely be out there to sublease by September 30, 2035. That’s a very long time from now, and one which left followers involved for Bungie’s future initiatives.
Bungie confirmed the information in a press release despatched to The Sport Submit, stating that this transfer displays the corporate’s rising give attention to distant work, which ties into its “digital-first” mannequin.
“Bungie is exploring choices to sublease its campus in Bellevue, Washington,” a studio spokesperson stated. “The studio transitioned to a digital-first mannequin a number of years in the past, and this transfer displays the workforce’s evolving office wants and the effectiveness of its distant collaboration. Bungie will proceed to preserve a bodily workplace presence in Bellevue.”
Responses from the group have been blended; some argue that this transformation is just logical, given the large layoffs that simply occurred, whereas others are about what this might imply for Bungie’s future.
“I’ve seen folks dooming about this prefer it doesn’t make a ton of sense within the current circumstances,” one wrote on X. “400-something folks aren’t gonna have the opportunity to use that area in full, and it’s higher than letting it gather mud.”
“Bungie is so good at making video games (imo) that I want they might fill all this area and have 2-5 initiatives without delay,” one other said. “However with their decreased measurement now, it’s in all probability the smart resolution.”
“In layman’s phrases, ‘We’re all going to be working from residence now, since we are able to now not afford our large places of work,'” one other remarked.
Bungie notably laid off 292 employees at its Bellevue, Washington workplace in June, marking its third spherical of layoffs in three years. As per reporting from The Seattle Times, this location employed 1,000 workers members in 2023; the corporate reportedly laid off roughly 320 workers between October 2023 and July 2024, making this most up-to-date spherical of layoffs much more brutal.
This newest information follows rising discontent from Bungie’s fanbase, who lately took to the chat en masse throughout PlayStation’s September State of Play to spam requests for Future 3 after the developer ended help for the title in favor of specializing in Marathon earlier this 12 months.
Sources instructed Forbes that plans had been in place to ‘relaunch’ the sport as Future Infinity, however they had been in the end scrapped. Future 3 was additionally reportedly thought-about by Bungie, however “issues did not swing that approach.”
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s Information Editor. With ten years of expertise reporting on video games and leisure, she’s acquired a storied background within the preventing recreation group, influencer information, and viral on-line tendencies. Discover her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.