Longtime CEO of Bungie, Pete Parsons, is stepping down from his position as of today. The news came right in the midst of Gamescom, but a replacement has been named, fortunately.
Parsons, who joined the studio in 2003, has worked on several of the studio’s major titles, like Halo 2 and Destiny. Becoming CEO of the company in 2016, he helped launch Destiny 2 and worked with PlayStation on the studio’s controversial acquisition in 2022. For many, he has been the face of the company for quite a while, so the news is quite shocking.
Justin Truman Now CEO of Bungie, Replacing Pete Parsons
In a blog post on Bungie’s official website, memos from both Parsons and new CEO Justin Truman were posted. Parsons spoke on his leave, saying,
“After more than two decades of helping build this incredible studio, establishing the Bungie Foundation, and growing inspiring communities around our work, I have decided to pass the torch,” Parsons said. “This journey has been the honor of a lifetime. I am deeply proud of the worlds we’ve built together and the millions of players who call them home – and most of all I am privileged by the opportunity to work alongside the incredible minds at Bungie.”
New Bungie CEO, Justin Truman, also spoke on the matter in the post previously mentioned, stating,
“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,” says Truman. Worlds that we love, and that we hope have been worth your time and your passion. Because ultimately those worlds only exist, and thrive, with you in them. 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.”
Truman, who joined Bungie in 2010 to work on Halo Reach as an engineer, has spearheaded much of Destiny 2’s community efforts. In the game, he worked as the Gameplay Experience Director. It seems like the Bungie CEO change isn’t going to delay Marathon or Destiny, as far as we know. While Destiny 2 is still going strong with new expansions, Marathon has had some tough times getting out of the gate. Still, the multiplayer FPS plans to release before the fiscal year ends, though exact details are not clear.
Are you surprised by Parsons’ decision to leave Bungie? Do you think Truman is the best choice for CEO? Let us know in the comments and on the forums
For more on Bungie, check out our previous coverage on Destiny 2 and Marathon. As always, make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Bungie studio closure incoming along with more PlayStation studios