Bungie CEO apologizes following in-depth report into sexism and toxicity at the studio

Bungie CEO apologizes chase in-astuteness describe into sexism and toxicity at the studio apartment

(Project credit: Bungie)

A major new IGN report into workplace toxicity at Destiny 2 studio Bungie has prompted an apology from CEO Pete Parsons, who acknowledged that while the studio has made certain changes in Holocene epoch years, "it is not enough, and information technology has affected too long."

In September, Parsons released a statement affirming Bungie's commitment "to fostering a rubber and welcoming surround for everyone, and to making conscious and constant improvements through listening, mortal-awareness, improving our workplace and our systems, and away acting on behalf of our people." The statement was prompted by the events of "these past a few months," He aforesaid; zero names were born, but information technology was a vindicated reference to the allegations of general misconduct at Activision Snowstorm.

Parsons' instruction painted a very positive picture of life sentence at Bungie, just according to the IGN report information technology didn't go over well with many employees, who had their own first-hand over experiences with toxicity in the workplace. Interviews with 26 modern and former employees reveal a culture rife with naked sexism and a "boys' club culture," heavy crunch, and aegis of abusers.

Members of Bungie's narrative team would sometimes turn up to 100 hours a week during some expansions, according to the report, while requests for more than regular team members were repeatedly denied. When Bungie told the narrative team not to crunch because the studio was nerve-wracking to eliminate the practice, some writers continued and simply didn't report the overtime hours ready to keep off having features cut. Information technology's not clear when this was occurrence, or with which expansions: The upcoming Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion was delayed into early 2022 to assistant ensure "the health of our teams," simply Halo: Combat Evolved nontextual matter managing director Marcus Lehto said in 2020 that he left Bungie in part to get away from "extended crunch periods."

Octuple interviewees also complained about Bungie's Hour department, and one long-serving employee in particular, which appeared more inclined to protect abusers than to come up to their abuses. "It's a well-known fact, if you talk to HR you're putting your own job connected the agate line," united employee said. "60 minutes has never been on that point to protect employees. They've always been on that point to protect the society. I've watched it happen a few times at Bungie, where person went to 60 minutes and things went completely sideways for them."

There are also enough of examples of more insidious behavior. Fooling sexism at Bungie had a real impact along women characters in Destiny 2—"I could go on for a age about all the ways women have got been made to stick around as the men on the team up have statute characters in baffling, unidentifiable ways," one source said—simply the miss of variety among studio apartment leaders is perhaps scoop highlighted past a story about Devrim Kay, a earthborn NPC players meet in the early stages of Destiny 2 who is gay.

That fact was originally brought to light through a reference to his "partner" in a single line of dialogue, but management eventually demanded it be removed so the game could cost sold in countries like Russia and China, where same-sex romances wouldn't be tolerated. Favorable an inward katzenjammer at Bungie, the reference was softened, merely information technology was still explicit enough to follow recognized, and Bungie leadership ended up earning acclaim for a story feature it tried to murder.

There is acknowledgement from umteen of the sources that Bungie has improved, and is continued to go under in the right direction, but it nonetheless prompted Parsons to speak out publically.

A message from Bungie's CEO, Pete Parsons.https://t.co/LsBrYmZCyU pic.twitter.com/nYmGXuEt1pDecember 10, 2021

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"I want to apologize to anyone who has ever experienced anything little than a safe, fair, and professional functioning environment at Bungie," He wrote. "I am not Hera to rebut or to challenge the experiences we're seeing mutual today aside people who have graced our studio with their metre and endowment. Our actions or, in some cases, inactions, caused these people pain. I apologise personally and on behalf of everyone at Bungie who I make love feels a deep sense of empathy and sorrow reading through these accounts."

Parsons listed changes successful at the studio over the past several years, including the removal of offenders "without respect to their term of office, seniority, operating theatre interpersonal relationships," a pore on more manageable release dates, and greater efforts to increase cellular inclusion, diversity, and equity. "I'm heartened by the progress we have ready-made, simply IT is not enough, and it has taken as well long-term," he wrote. "It also does not sweep oar away the distressing experiences people undergo had at our studio apartment."

"As CEO, it is my job to factor both the past and the future and be accountable for all of IT, here and now. Speaking with the team at Bungie, reading material the stories, and sightedness both known and newly surfaced accounts, it is clear we withal have work forrade of us."

The Bungie Foundation, the studio apartment's not-profit Jacob's ladder limb, announced that information technology will be suspended its one-year Game2Give charity outcome indefinitely, "while we digest this news and support our employees who are hurting." The website will stay undefended for donations through December 15, spell fundraising streams volition resume in 2022.

We are devastated by the news that came prohibited today. We will be pausing #Game2Give indefinitely while we digest this news and support our employees WHO are hurting. We are truly grateful for this community – your patronize has enabled then such good around the world December 10, 2021