With so many layoffs in the gaming industry in 2023, and against such a bleak backdrop, Bungie's job cuts this week were shocking. In particular, composer Michael Salvatori, who wrote countless impressive compositions for both "Destiny" and for Bungie's early projects dating back to "Myth: The Fallen Lords" and what we called "the most gorgeous game music you've ever heard." Michael Secrist, composer of "Deep Stone Lullaby," mourns the loss of his longtime employee.

Salvatori's termination was confirmed by an update on his website. Initially detailing his long career at Bungie and his numerous awards for his "Destiny" games, it was replaced with a simple two-word message: "Gone fishin' :)"

Some said that Salvatori was angry about the cut because of its brevity but in a message shared with Paul Tassi of Forbes, he said gracefully that he was simply "sorting out my feelings."

"Many of my best friends were also laid off and I feel bad for them. My heart goes out to all those who lost their jobs yesterday."

"As for myself, I can't thank you enough; starting in 1997, Bungie has given me the opportunity to contribute music to some of the most amazing games ever made. I have been truly blessed to have worked with so many wonderful creative people over the years. I've learned so much from them, not only as a composer, but also as a human being.

"I sincerely wish my friends still out there the best of luck. To my fans, please don't hate them. Give us the chance to overwhelm you as we have done so many times before."

Despite Salvatori's warm words, a very large number of fans are concerned about Bungie's future after the layoffs; Salvatori and Sechrist are in the spotlight because the impact of their work on the overall Destiny experience is so superficial, Tim Clark, Destiny's resident obsessive, describes Sechrist's Deep Stone Lullaby as "a level of beauty that would make your cheeks fall off," but the impact of the layoffs has been profound, affecting writers, editors, social media personnel, QA personnel, HR personnel, etc. ： Details on the number of employees laid off have not been released, but it is clear that the layoffs are significant.

In addition, the layoffs come less than two years after Bungie's leadership assured employees that there would be "absolutely no layoffs" as a result of Sony's acquisition of the studio; in fact, Sony had spent an estimated $1.2 billion to guarantee that all employees would be retained.

This rubbing salt in the wound was echoed in the response to the confirmation of the layoffs that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons posted on Twitter yesterday, where he presented himself as an innocent bystander rather than a highly paid, still-employed studio chief It is unclear who was ultimately responsible for Bungie's decision to cut jobs, but Sony has also recently laid off employees at Naughty Dog and Media Molecule studios.

"The Bungie execs deserve to be full of shit over this," wrote one Redditor. 'They signed a contract with Sony and promised no layoffs. But of course they are not going to face any consequences and it will be business as usual." This is harsh and speculative, but it reflects a common mood among fans: Bungie didn't have to do this, but they did it anyway.

Bungie has not disclosed the number of employees laid off in the layoffs, but Bloomberg reports that roughly 100 of the total 1,200 employees were laid off. The job cuts are in response to the sharp drop in Destiny 2 numbers since the release of the "Lightfall" expansion: executives have reportedly said that Destiny 2 revenue is 45% below projections for the year.

Also, the studio has yet to comment on reports that Destiny 2: The Final Shape, currently scheduled for a February release, has been delayed, but Salvatori and Sechrist are expected to have likely already finished that work. For some fans, this is cold comfort: they can enjoy one last rapture by great composers, but it is also the literal end of an era ahead.