Sony president wants Bungie to be better at ‘assuming accountability for development timelines’

Sony president and PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki has said Bungie could be better at assuming responsibility for its development timelines.

During a Q&A session following Sony’s latest financial results briefing, Totoki was asked for an update on Bungie, and whether he had any initiatives planned for the studio in the next financial year.

Totoki replied that while he was impressed by Bungie’s ability as a video game developer, he felt it could make improvements from a business perspective.

“I visited the Bungie studios and had meetings with [the] management,” he said, “and I saw that employees working at the studios were highly motivated, showing great creativity as well as an impressive knowledge of live services.

“However, I also felt that there was room for improvement from a business perspective with regard to areas such as the use of business expenses and assuming accountability for development timelines. I hope to continue the dialogue and come up with some good solutions.”

When Totoki originally answered this question last week, the live English translation provided by Sony referred to PlayStation studios in general.

However, Sony has now released a new official translation, which it says “is intended to replace the simultaneous translation of the question and answer session previously provided”, and this new translation refers to Bungie specifically.

It was reported in December that Bungie’s position as an independent subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is under threat.

When the PlayStation maker announced its intention to acquire the Destiny studio in 2022, it said Bungie would “continue to operate independently, maintaining the ability to self-publish and reach players wherever they choose to play”.

However, an IGN report stated that the company’s board structure is contingent on Bungie hitting certain financial goals, and if it fails to do so Sony can reportedly choose to dissolve the existing board and assume full control of the company.

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