Bungie currently has no active projects in development, and there’s no Destiny 3 on the horizon. To make matters worse, another round of layoffs is on the way. The studio is putting all its hopes on Marathon, a game that sold 1.2 million copies but experienced a 70% refund rate shortly after its March 2026 launch.
A GamesRadar report suggests there’s no certainty that any new projects beyond Marathon will be greenlit. This puts Bungie in a tough spot, especially after layoffs in 2023 and 2024 that eliminated hundreds of jobs. Now, the studio has just one game to justify its existence under Sony’s PlayStation Studios.
Marathon debuted on March 5, 2026, with a price tag of $39.99. It currently boasts an 87% positive rating based on 38,813 Steam reviews. However, those stats hide a troubling reality. The 70% refund rate reported in late March indicates that many players tried the game only to leave shortly after. This suggests a serious issue with player retention, overshadowing any claims of a successful launch.
The Destiny 2 community, which Bungie nurtured for over a decade, isn’t responding well to these developments. Some former Bungie writers have publicly expressed their discontent, with reports pointing to ex-CEO Pete Parsons as a focus of criticism as the Destiny 2 era wound down. Parsons was ousted from his position in 2024 during the initial wave of significant layoffs.
Currently, Marathon has just 3,448 concurrent players on Steam. For a game expected to lead the studio into the future, that number looks precarious. Push Square confirmed that the layoffs are anticipated to be significant, but specific numbers haven’t been made public yet. Bungie had about 1,200 employees before the 2023 cuts began, and the remaining workforce is now only a small fraction of what it once was.
| Marathon Launch Date | March 5, 2026 |
| Marathon Price (Steam) | $39.99 |
| Steam Review Score | 87% positive (38,813 reviews) |
| Copies Sold (as of March 29) | 1.2 million |
| Reported Refund Rate | ~70% |
| Current Steam Concurrent Players | 3,448 |
Community Pulse
The player reaction has been sharp and consistent. One Steam reviewer captured the frustration perfectly: “Underperformed Destiny 2 at its worst point ever, and Bungie decides THIS is the game that will carry them forward. Worse gunplay, worse stories, worse movement, worse lore, worse activities.” This sentiment echoes a wider community belief that Bungie abandoned a functional, albeit troubled, live service for an extraction shooter that fell short in almost every area.
What To Watch
- Layoff scope and timing: Bungie hasn’t confirmed how many people will be laid off. Keep an eye out for announcements from Sony or Bungie leadership that could clarify whether the studio can still operate independently or if it faces further structural changes within PlayStation Studios.
- Marathon player retention: The gap between 1.2 million sales and the reported 70% refund rate needs to close. Monthly active player data over Q2 2026 will reveal if Bungie can stabilize the game or if they’ll see a decline in player numbers with no new titles in sight.
- Sony’s next move: PlayStation invested $3.6 billion to acquire Bungie in 2022. With only a struggling live-service game on the table, Sony must decide whether to invest more, restructure the studio, or integrate Bungie’s remaining talent into other PlayStation projects.
Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.
