Bungie's success since its split from publisher Activision has been self-evidence. The now-independent studio's continued support for Destiny 2, including large seasonal and routine patches and DLC offerings, has given Bungie the foundation it needs to flourish. Now Bungie is ready to grow. Thursday morning, it announced a significant expansion, including a new publishing studio in Amsterdam and massive additions to its Washington headquarters. And alongside that, Bungie's confirmed it's working on new games, including a new IP.
As part of the studio changes at Bungie, several executive positions are being shifted or created. This included a division of sorts. Mark Noseworthy and Luke Smith, for example, now specifically oversee Bungie's Destiny universe plans, separate from Destiny 2. Justin Truman, in turn, will focus on continued support for Destiny 2 itself. A new division is also being created, however. Where Noseworthy, Smith, and Truman will lead Bungie's Destiny plans, this new team will focus on other pursuits.
Chief creative officer Jonny Ebbert and general manager Zach Russell will take the lead in Bungie's new efforts, with a goal to "build and drive the creative vision and foundation for Bungie's future worlds." More specifically, these two will be directing new teams in their efforts to make new games. It sounds like Bungie will be doing quite a bit of hiring in order to support these endeavors.
However Bungie gets there, one specific goal is made clear. That goal being that Bungie wants to release one new IP before 2025. No more or less is said about this goal, which is understandable given that it's four years away. The intention appears to be that Bungie wants to build a team and put out a game in just 3-4 years. An appealing statement from a team looking to do a big wave of hiring in the next several months.
Bungie's clearly stated messaging is that it's growing and that it's looking to make more games. What those games are is irrelevant, as much as fans almost certainly want a hint. Bungie's hinted at a new IP previously, but the direction for that IP remains a mystery. Maybe Bungie hasn't decided on a direction yet. Regardless, fans will have to wait what's likely to be years before finding out.
One other aspect of Bungie's changes to consider is the addition of Pamela Kaufman, president of global consumer products for ViacomCBS, to Bungie's Board of Directors. Kaufman was added specifically to help with Bungie's multimedia IP expansion. In other words, Bungie's potentially looking to get into TV or film. It's unlikely a coincidence that this new IP is starting development alongside those multimedia plans. This new game could very well launch in relation to, for example, a Netflix TV show. It'll be interesting to see Bungie's plans unfold over the next several years.