Sony has confirmed that Future 2 has not met the gross sales and engagement expectations set when it acquired Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion. In accordance with Sony CFO Lin Tao, the studio’s efficiency and the unsure way forward for Marathon, is not going to considerably impression PlayStation’s general gaming division.
Future 2 Has Not Met Sony’s Expectations
Nearly 4 years after the high-profile $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, Sony has acknowledged that the deal hasn’t delivered the outcomes it hoped for. What was meant to be one among PlayStation’s most strategic investments within the live-service house has as a substitute become a sobering actuality.
Throughout Sony’s Q2 fiscal yr 2025 earnings name, Lin Tao, Sony Group’s Chief Monetary Officer, admitted that Future 2’s gross sales and participant engagement haven’t reached the targets initially projected on the time of the acquisition.
“Relating to Future 2, due partly to modifications within the aggressive setting, each gross sales ranges and consumer engagement haven’t met the expectations we had when buying Bungie,” mentioned Lin Tao.
Even latest expansions like The Closing Form and Fringe of Future, meant to revitalize the neighborhood, did not considerably enhance the sport’s participant base. After eight years of steady updates, the once-dominant looter-shooter seems to be approaching the twilight of its lifecycle.
The Distinction: Stay-Service Success Elsewhere
Whereas Bungie struggles to maintain Future 2 afloat, different live-service titles below Sony’s umbrella are performing much better.
Video games like Helldivers 2 and MLB The Present 25 have exceeded expectations, contributing to 40% of PlayStation’s whole software program income this quarter. Sony highlighted that Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Recreation Studios, has been notably profitable throughout PS5, PC, and even Xbox Sequence X|S.
“Helldivers 2, which launched for Xbox this August, has been a large success—attracting new Xbox gamers whereas rising engagement amongst PS5 and PC customers,” Lin Tao added.
These outcomes reinforce that whereas PlayStation’s live-service technique remains to be viable, not all of its initiatives have achieved the anticipated outcomes—and Bungie’s output stands out because the weakest hyperlink.
Future’s Decline and Bungie’s Reassessment
The underperformance of Future 2 has led Sony to revise Bungie’s industrial outlook downward, formally registering an impairment loss on a part of the studio’s belongings.
“Whereas we are going to proceed to make enhancements, we have now revised Bungie’s enterprise projection downward for now and acknowledged an impairment loss on a portion of its belongings,” Tao defined.
Lin Tao additionally acknowledged the dangers hooked up to Bungie’s upcoming title, Marathon, a reboot of the studio’s traditional IP. If it fails to fulfill expectations, it may compound the studio’s losses. Nevertheless, Sony insists that these potential setbacks is not going to have an effect on the general well being of PlayStation’s gaming phase, not less than for now.
“For Marathon and Future 2, if efficiency fails to fulfill expectations, there may be after all a threat of losses, however we don’t imagine this can have an effect on the general gaming phase at this stage.”
What’s Subsequent for Bungie?
Following a number of rounds of layoffs and inside restructuring in 2024, Bungie’s future inside PlayStation stays unsure. Rumors proceed to flow into that Sony could finally totally combine the studio into PlayStation Studios to raised align its initiatives with the corporate’s broader technique.
Regardless of its struggles, Bungie’s experience in multiplayer infrastructure and live-service design stays invaluable for Sony’s long-term ambitions on this house. But the studio might want to rethink its method if it hopes to stay worthwhile and regain the belief of each its participant base and its new dad or mum firm.
