Sony has reiterated its intentions to take more ownership and control of Bungie as it looks to fully integrate the Destiny 2, Marathon developer into PS Studios.
Following a string of controversies and failures, the studio update was shared by Sony CFO Lin Tao in the Q&A section of the company's latest financial earnings call. Tao said (transcribed by VGC) that while Bungie was allowed a "very independent environment" when the team was acquired, that freedom is now "getting lighter" as it becomes "more part of PlayStation Studios, and integration is proceeding".
Tao clarified: "So in the long term, if you can see this as an ongoing process, the direction [for Bungie] is to become part of PS Studios."
Sony acquired Bungie with the intention of it helping the firm in its live-service push throughout the PS5 generation, but its efforts have been thwarted by its own internal problems. Destiny 2 isn't what it used to be, with dropping player numbers for every expansion. It's also had to go through waves of layoffs, but the most controversial problem the team faces is accusations of plagiarised art in Marathon.