In a move that reflects the evolving landscape of game development and Bungie’s commitment to a “digital-first” approach, the studio is exploring options to sublease a significant portion of its massive headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. This decision follows recent layoffs and raises questions about the future of Bungie’s projects.
Bungie Adjusts Office Space
Following a round of major layoffs across Bungie’s team in June, the studio has announced plans to put 210,984 square feet of its Bellevue headquarters up for sublease. This means that Bungie will be renting out portions of the space to third-party companies.
The news was initially broken by The Game Post, which reportedly reviewed a commercial leasing brochure advertising the availability of the space. The advertisement stated that the 210,984 square feet will be available to sublease through September 30, 2035.
Official Statement and Community Reaction
Bungie confirmed the news in a statement to The Game Post, emphasizing that this move aligns with the company’s growing focus on remote work and its “digital-first” model.
“Bungie is exploring options to sublease its campus in Bellevue, Washington,” a studio spokesperson said. “The studio transitioned to a digital-first model several years ago, and this move reflects the team’s evolving workplace needs and the effectiveness of its remote collaboration. Bungie will continue to maintain a physical office presence in Bellevue.”
Community reactions have been mixed. Some argue that the change is logical given the recent layoffs, while others express concern about what it could mean for Bungie’s future projects.
“I’ve seen people dooming about this like it doesn’t make a ton of sense in the present circumstances,” one wrote on X. “400-something people aren’t gonna be able to use that space in full, and it’s better than letting it collect dust.”
“Bungie is so good at making games (imo) that I wish they could fill all this space and have 2-5 projects at once,” another said. “But with their reduced size now, it’s probably the wise decision.”
“In layman’s terms, ‘We’re all going to be working from home now, since we can no longer afford our massive offices,'” another remarked.
Layoffs and Future Projects
Bungie notably laid off 292 workers at its Bellevue, Washington office in June, marking its third round of layoffs in three years. According to reporting from The Seattle Times, the location employed 1,000 staff members in 2023; the company reportedly laid off approximately 320 employees between October 2023 and July 2024, making this most recent round of layoffs even more significant.
This news follows growing discontent from Bungie’s fanbase, who recently took to the chat en masse during PlayStation’s September State of Play to spam requests for Destiny 3 after the developer ended support for the title in favor of focusing on Marathon earlier this year.
Sources told Forbes that plans were in place to “relaunch” the game as Destiny Infinity, but they were ultimately scrapped. Destiny 3 was also reportedly considered by Bungie, but “things didn’s swing that way.”
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