Longtime Bungie executive Pete Parson stepped down from his role at the company on Thursday, ending his decades-spanning career with the studio. He became Bungie’s CEO in 2016 after serving as executive producer and chief operating officer since 2002.
“This journey has been the honor of a lifetime,” Parson said in a statement on Bungie’s website. “When I was asked to lead Bungie in 2015, my goal was to grow us into a studio capable of creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning entertainment. We’ve been through so much together: we launched a bold new chapter for Destiny, built an enviable, independent live ops organization capable of creating and publishing its own games, and joined the incredible family at Sony Interactive Entertainment.”
Justin Truman is now stepping up as Bungie’s studio head. He was previously general manager for Destiny 2 and the company’s chief development officer. “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,” Truman said in his own statement, referring to Bungie’s franchises like Destiny and Marathon. “We are hard at work right now doing that – both with Marathon and Destiny. We’re currently heads down, but we’ll have more to show you in both of these worlds later this year.”
This news comes during a turbulent period for the company. In July 2024, Bungie laid off over 200 employees after a “quality miss” with Destiny 2‘s Lightfall expansion. It’s also been embroiled in a lawsuit regarding a former creative director who was fired over his inappropriate behavior toward female Bungie employees.
As for what’s next for Bungie during this rocky time, it won’t be Marathon next month. The extraction shooter was originally supposed to launch Sept. 23 before being delayed indefinitely due to lukewarm feedback from an alpha playtest. The delay announcement came just a month after it came to light that Bungie used an artist’s work in Marathon without properly crediting her.
All of this is to say: A lot is riding on Truman’s shoulders as Bungie’s newest studio head.
