Despite PlayStation‘s spotty efforts to crack into live service gaming, it seems the company is doubling down on it. A portion of Bungie is joining PlayStation Studios to aid with all live service games for Sony’s video game platform.
Part of Bungie to be incorporated into PlayStation Studios
Revealed in a post from PlayStation Studios’ newly appointed Senior Director of Creative Bridget O’Neill, Bungie Creative Studios is officially joining PlayStation Studios to “build the foundation for a creative team” to support the PlayStation live service games. O’Neill and their team will continue to work on Bungie games like Destiny, and Marathon.
“Bungie Creative Studios is joining PlayStation Studios to build the foundation for a creative team that can support all PlayStation live service games,” says O’Neill’s post on LinkedIn. “As part of this move, I am taking on a new role as Senior Director of Creative at PlayStation Studios.”
“This opportunity to share our experience working on Bungie titles with other studios that are building live service games is so exciting,” O’Neill continues. “Live service is hard and comes with a unique set of challenges, so with PlayStation and Bungie working together we will be able to give a huge jumpstart on development for new games as they enter this super competitive market.”
Sony announced their intent to acquire Bungie back in January 2022 with the deal finalizing in July of the same year. Unlike most acquisitions, Bungie and Sony were to operate separately, which allowed Bungie to keep its games multiplatform. Since the acquisition, Bungie has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs, leading to former employees scrutinizing its management. Although it isn’t a matter of fact, it does seem Bungie is slowly integrating into PlayStation Studios despite its initial statements.
Sony’s continued push into live service is arguably questionable. It has seen success with 2024’s hit shooter Helldivers 2. However, titles like Concord and the canceled The Last of Us multiplayer game make its commitment to live service seem very odd.
