Bungie CEO Pete Parsons is departing the corporate after 23 years and practically 10 as CEO. He’s succeeded by Justin Truman, presently chief improvement officer and fellow Bungie veteran.
In a weblog publish on the official Bungie web site, Parsons wrote:
Once I was requested to guide Bungie in 2015, my purpose was to develop us right into a studio able to creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning leisure. We’ve been via a lot collectively: we launched a daring new chapter for Future, constructed an enviable, unbiased reside ops group able to creating and publishing its personal video games, and joined the unimaginable household at Sony Interactive Leisure.
Immediately marks the best time for a brand new starting. The way forward for Bungie shall be within the arms of a brand new era of leaders, and I’m thrilled to announce that Justin Truman shall be moving into management as Bungie’s new Studio Head.
Parsons has overseen Bungie throughout many turbulent years, first taking on as CEO in 2016 from Harold Ryan and overseeing its break from Activision in 2019. He was on the helm all through most of the occasions catalogued in our 2021 expose of Bungie’s inner work tradition. Although these we spoke to reported that Bungie had been poisonous and hostile towards ladies specifically previous to Parsons taking cost, additionally they instructed IGN that he was ceaselessly sluggish or reluctant to take motion when points had been reported, and even appeared clueless as to tips on how to reign in drawback staff. Parsons apologized on the time, saying, “Our actions or, in some circumstances, inactions, induced these folks ache. I apologize personally and on behalf of everybody at Bungie who I do know really feel a deep sense of empathy and unhappiness studying via these accounts.”
Simply months after our report, Bungie was acquired by Sony for $3.7 billion, ending the studio’s flirtation with independence. Because the acquistion settled in, issues started to come up about Bungie’s future. Future 2 was struggling, and upcoming sport Marathon was nonetheless years away. In 2023, Bungie laid off roughly 100 people and delayed Future 2’s The Closing Form DLC, with Parsons taking duty for the layoffs. Builders instructed IGN on the time that the ambiance at Bungie was “soul-crushing” as fears grew of a complete Sony takeover of the corporate. In 2024, this was adopted up with much more layoffs, impacting 220 folks this time, regardless of The Closing Form’s success. 155 folks had been additionally built-in from Bungie into Sony at the moment. Troubles continued to rock the studio via 2024 and into 2025, with Marathon seeing a delay out of September of this yr to an unknown future date.
It is on this surroundings – Future 2 struggling, Marathon delayed, a smaller employees, and Sony looming, that Parsons departs the corporate. He leaves it to Justin Truman, who started at Bungie as a developer 15 years in the past engaged on Future 1 and who has since labored his approach as much as chief improvement officer and now studio head.
Once we’re at our greatest – we create these worlds alongside you, our participant group, and construct one thing that issues. One thing that’s price your time, your ardour, and your funding in us. One thing that I’ve realized, hopefully, overdelivers.
I’ve additionally been a part of these efforts at Bungie once we’ve possibly not been at our greatest. Once we’ve stumbled and realized via listening to our group that we had missed the mark. I do know I’ve personally realized quite a bit through the years, as have all of us right here, from these conversations.
I’m dedicated to supporting and dealing alongside each member of the group right here as we proceed pouring our hearts and souls into these worlds. Worlds that we love, and that we hope have been price your time and your ardour. As a result of finally these worlds solely exist, and thrive, with you in them.
We’re laborious at work proper now doing that – each with Marathon and Future. We’re presently heads down, however we’ll have extra to point out you in each of those worlds later this yr.
Per Bungie’s social media publish, Parsons is retiring and can seemingly not stay on the studio.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You’ll find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.
