It seems like Bungie employees might be experiencing the same issues that staff in other AAA studios have been running into, if the words of a former Bungie employee are anything to go by.

While the developer’s name has been redacted to protect their identity, the former senior artist shared a look into what it might have been like to work at Bungie, via their private Facebook. We’ve also redacted the games they’ve worked on, to protect their identity.

To be clear, this was a response to another developer making a post about toxic management techniques, and we’ve presented the contents as is:

“I was afraid of posting this…. But here’s my two cents FWIW: Much of this happens because things get too big too quickly and there is too much money and gold ole boy mentality being thrown around and no proper mgmt training for MANY game studios. An artist is trained to be an artist, not a manager of teams, but is expected to manage teams. It’s easier for companies to let people go rather than change their internal structure because change might equate to a spotlight being put on upper levels not performing their own jobs… You know when it comes to big money and bonuses big enough to buy rental houses that earn them more income… the worker bees will always be thrown under the bus, and others will get credit for someone else’s hard work. BIG money turns good little companies into shitshows of greed and poor management and mission statements are thrown out the window.”

To be clear, so far their post may or may not be indicative of what development at Bungie was like in the past.

However, the developer’s later post is a lot more grim, and seemingly a result of being a part of “the machine,” and experiencing massive amounts of stress:

“That this fear of reprisal can reach outside of the workplace and infiltrate your home life, and not only your thoughts, but those of your loved ones, this is insidious. Depression and anxiety, this kind of PTSD can destroy lives. I type this as I live on social security disability income in that prolonged state of self-loathing, fear and distrust (admittedly some of that is thought distortion as symptom of advanced depression). Everyone is trying so hard to hold it together as they are ground in the gears of the machine. The things you need to sacrifice to hold on to that position, sense of humor, compassion, empathy, make you a stable employee, yet a hollow version of yourself, the human being, who needs to sacrifice his or her humanity to remain loyal to a company, of all things. I don’t think it’s worth it. Not for the amount of time you spend on the planet. And crossfit isn’t going to fix that.”

A reminder – we’re always open to interview developers, both indie and those who are “part of the machine,” so please contact us!