Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has announced that he has left the studio behind series like Halo and Destiny after ten years in the position. He will be replaced by Justin Truman, who was previously Bungie’s Chief Development Officer and will now be Studio Head.
Pete Parsons’ tenure at the top of Bungie was a controversial one. Destiny 2 reached massive heights of success, but in recent years, Bungie has been hit by a series of layoffs, project cancellations, and other controversies that have tarnished the once-beloved studio’s reputation.
Why is Pete Parsons leaving Bungie?
And who is replacing him?
Pete Parson announced his departure in a message on the company’s official website. His statement mostly serves to complement the work of the developers at Bungie as well as Sony Interactive Entertainment, which acquired the Destiny 2 maker in 2022.
He didn’t delve into his reasons for leaving too deeply, simply saying that it was “the right time for a new beginning” for the studio and that its future should be “in the hands of a new generation of leaders.” That said, he’s not leaving as a beloved CEO within the Destiny 2 community.
In the early 2020s, Bungie massively expanded and tried to jumpstart a lot of projects at the same time. Ultimately, these efforts didn’t pan out, even after the studio gained the safety net of being acquired by PlayStation.
In late 2023 and 2024, massive rounds of layoffs hit Bungie, and new expansions for Destiny 2 were received poorly. Fans would go on to critique Parsons’ personal car collection and how Bungie leadership felt out of touch with what the community wants.
Bungie is not regarded as highly as it was in the days where it made Halo, or even the best Destiny 2 expansions. The studio is attempting to revive its Marathon IP as well, but even that project has been mired by plagiarism accusations.
Hopefully, Pete Parsons’ departure gives Bungie the clean break it needs to move forward and be better. Bungie technically doesn’t have a CEO anymore, as Justin Truman’s title officially is Studio Head.
In a statement in that same post on the Bungie website, Truman highlights his 15-year history with the studio. He also admits that there have been times when the studio has “stumbled and realized through listening to our community that we had missed the mark” in recent years.
“I am committed to supporting and working alongside every member of the team here as we continue pouring our hearts and souls into these worlds,” he goes on to explain.
He also teases that there are more announcements related to Marathon and Destiny coming later this year, although he does not mention the mobile game Destiny Rising, which is launching on August 28. It remains to be seen just how much of an impact this leadership change will have on Bungie going forward.
