File Bungie under the “toxic workplace video game company” section alongside Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, Riot Games, and many others.

IGN recently published a massive report on the Destiny/Destiny 2/OG Halo developers’ flawed workplace culture, crunch, and hiring practices. The report included dozens of stories from former and current employees describing the poisonous company culture and its slow progress of moving towards improving it.

The reports stem from the company’s narrative team, which has faced 60 to 100 hour work weeks, with managers and team leaders reportedly berating employees on a daily basis. This is despite Bungie stating in interviews and on the record that it has made significant progress in eliminating crunch throughout its company culture like delaying content.

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons state that the company is trying its best for a secure and workplace-friendly future:

“As CEO, it is my job to factor both the past and the future and be accountable for all of it, here and now. Speaking with the team at Bungie, reading the stories, and seeing both known and newly surfaced accounts, it is clear we still have work ahead of us.

I am committed to it. We are not yet the studio we have the potential to become, but we are on our way. And we will not rest or slow these efforts because we recognize that the journey of inclusivity, diversity, and equity is, in itself, the destination we all strive towards. This is critical to achieving our vision and fulfilling the potential of the welcoming, equitable home of creative and technical excellence Bungie should be.”

No company is perfect. But to have culture like this go unchecked for years is not a good sign for retaining your most-talented and passionate workers. Hopefully Bungie’s leads take this step forward and prove it in the next few months or even year.