Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 17
Bungie Replaces Marathon Director as Steam Peak Falls to 2,030 After 300 Layoffs
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 17

Bungie Replaces Marathon Director as Steam Peak Falls to 2,030 After 300 Layoffs

3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 17

Summary

  • July 17 marked Joe Ziegler’s last day at Bungie, with assistant game director Del Chafe III taking over Marathon alongside creative director Julia Nardin.
  • A 2,030 all-time Steam peak on July 9 underscored the game’s slide, with player counts still falling as Bungie tries to steady the post-launch extraction shooter.
  • Roughly 300 layoffs in June—nearly 40% of Bungie’s estimated earlier headcount—already reshaped Marathon’s leadership, including the exit of general manager Scott Taylor and the departure of senior design lead Lars Bakken.
  • Sony has said it remains committed to Marathon while Bungie prototypes another project, but a hoped-for full PvE mode is not expected until the fall.

Insights

Following layoffs and a director's exit just months post-launch, can Bungie's troubled new shooter Marathon be saved from total collapse?
As another director exits and its finances falter, is Bungie's post-Sony era becoming a cautionary tale for the games industry?