On Friday, a report on Bungie’s work culture uncovered allegations of racism, sexism, discrimination, toxic leadership and more. Current and former employees of Life The developers claim they have experienced “overt sexism, boys’ club culture, brutality and protection of personnel towards abusers, as well as more complex stories about violations, systemic inequality, and difficulty in listening”. CEO Pete Parsons has since issued an apology “on behalf of everyone at Bungie,” acknowledging that the studio needed to listen to these accounts and do better.
In one IGN report (which I encourage you to read in full), 26 current and former employees came forward to talk about their experiences at the studio. They say the majority of the sources are anonymous for fear of the consequences.
The report focuses specifically on troubles in the narrative department, which predates the development of Destiny 1. In addition to the dire situation when a team member announced that they couldn’t type because they were too sick, the sources told of a team leader who suffered from “severe burnout” creating “an increasingly toxic work environment for others”. He allegedly threw a chair at the window “because he felt others were ruining his creative vision of the game”.
Another leader is known as the “sexist nightmare”, who is said to have called one woman in the group an “unmanageable bitch”. After he was let go, sources claim he was replaced by “men of similar character”. One is said to have regularly made racist remarks and was described by one source as a “callous, hierarchical, dictatorial, frenzied and ruthless leader”.
Other claims say that women on the narrative team are not supported in the face of death threats and abuse from fans, and that women must push back against stories designed by writers male based on “harmful stereotypes” of Destiny’s female characters.
CEO Pete Parsons issue a statement shortly after IGN posted their post, apologizing “to anyone who has experienced anything less than a safe, fair and professional working environment at Bungie”. He lists some of the changes the studio has made over the years (such as getting rid of bad actors and looking at recruitment methods), but adds that it hasn’t been enough and is lost. too much time.
“I am not here to refute or challenge the experiences we are seeing today shared by those who have given their time and talent to our studio,” he said. “Our actions or in some cases, inaction, have caused these people pain. I apologize personally and on behalf of everyone at Bungie who I know empathize with. and deeply saddened to read through these accounts.”
“As CEO, it’s my duty to consider both the past and the future and take responsibility for all of it, the here and now. Talk to the team at Bungie, read the stories and seeing both known and emerging accounts, it’s clear we still have work ahead of us.”
The IGN report details egregious allegations similar to those we’ve heard from other companies over the past few months, but with the difference that Bungie employees seem to feel the studio is improving. (or at least want to try). An employee said that leadership has good intentions, but does not know how to promote the cause. Another source also summarizes the issue in a special way:
“People are willing to learn, but wouldn’t it be great to be somewhere that everyone already knows?”
