Bungie is considering subleasing substantial parts of its 210,984-square-foot headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, after several rounds of layoffs significantly reduced the studio’s workforce.
The PlayStation-owned developer expanded its Bellevue campus to more than twice its previous size in 2021. That investment followed the continuing success of Destiny 2 during the pandemic, alongside plans to support the game’s ongoing content pipeline and develop projects beyond the Destiny universe.
“Bungie is exploring options to sublease its campus in Bellevue, Washington,” a spokesperson told The Game Post. The studio said it had moved towards a digital-first operating model and that remote collaboration had influenced its changing workplace requirements. Bungie also confirmed that it will retain a physical office presence in Bellevue.
The campus was designed as a high-end development environment, with a dedicated gym, climbing wall and playtest spaces. A brochure associated with the proposed subleases also lists a motion-capture studio, streaming studio, audio and Foley rooms, capture facilities and editing suites.
A major expansion built around Destiny 2
When Bungie announced the expansion, it described the new facilities as a way to support multiple project teams. The company highlighted continued investment in Destiny 2, additional stories set in its science-fiction universe and new intellectual properties.
“In addition to building state-of-the-art facilities to support the growth and development of their talented employees, one of the primary drivers of Bungie’s expansion is to increase the commitment to the long-term development of Destiny 2, tell new stories in the Destiny Universe, and create entirely new worlds in to-be-announced IPs.”
The 2021 announcement also said the redesigned Bellevue space would accommodate several project teams, including teams working outside the Destiny universe. Bungie said at the time that the expansion would support the company’s longer-term growth.
From expansion to a much smaller workforce
Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion the following winter. Since then, the studio’s broader ambitions have been scaled back. Projects outside the Destiny series were cancelled, apart from one project known as Gummy Bears, which focused on frog-like action and was moved internally within PlayStation. Sony has also decided to sunset Destiny 2, leaving Marathon as Bungie’s remaining major project.
Bungie employed more than 1,500 people at its pandemic-era peak. Layoffs in 2023, 2024 and 2026 reduced that number by at least 600, before accounting for ordinary staff turnover and roles transferred elsewhere within the PlayStation group. The studio now appears to be closer to 500 employees.
A digital-first workplace can make remote collaboration easier and reduce the pressure to recruit exclusively from the expensive greater Seattle market. However, the shift also highlights the mismatch between Bungie’s current staffing needs and the scale of the Bellevue campus it expanded only a few years ago.
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