According to KitGuru.net, Sony CFO Lin Tao confirmed during the company’s latest earnings call that Destiny 2’s sales and user engagement have fallen short of expectations set during the Bungie acquisition. Tao specifically cited “changes in the competitive environment” as a contributing factor to the underperformance. The company has downwardly revised its business projections for Bungie and recorded an impairment loss against a portion of the studio’s assets. Meanwhile, Sony highlighted Helldivers 2 and MLB: The Show as successful live-service games driving revenue growth. Bungie’s new shooter Marathon remains scheduled for early 2026 release despite the current challenges.
Sony’s Live Service Reality Check
Here’s the thing about live service games – they’re brutally competitive. Sony bought Bungie specifically to be their live service kingpin, but it turns out the crown is sitting elsewhere. While Bungie struggles, Helldivers 2 has become Sony’s unexpected live service hero. It’s basically the opposite of what they planned.
And that’s the real story here. Sony paid $3.7 billion for Bungie’s expertise in live operations, only to discover that their own internal studios are delivering the hits. MLB: The Show continues to be a steady performer year after year. So what went wrong with Destiny 2? The game’s been around for years, and let’s be honest – maintaining player engagement in a live service title that old is incredibly difficult.
The Impairment Loss Reality
When a company records an impairment loss, that’s accounting speak for “we paid too much for this.” It’s basically admitting the asset isn’t worth what they thought it was. For Sony to publicly acknowledge this during an earnings call? That’s significant. They’re telling investors they overestimated Bungie’s value in today’s market.
But here’s what’s interesting – they’re still pushing forward with Marathon. Early 2026 release date confirmed. So they haven’t lost faith entirely in Bungie’s ability to deliver. They’re just acknowledging that the current state of Destiny 2 isn‘t cutting it. The question is whether Marathon can reverse this trend or if it’s too little, too late.
Where Sony Goes From Here
Look, the live service market is absolutely saturated right now. Between Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty Warzone, and dozens of others, there’s only so much player attention to go around. Destiny 2 launched in 2017 – that’s ancient in live service years. Player fatigue is real.
Sony’s strategy now seems to be diversification rather than putting all their eggs in the Bungie basket. They’ve seen what Helldivers 2 can do, and they’ve got other live service projects in development. The Bungie acquisition might not be the disaster some are calling it, but it’s definitely not the home run Sony hoped for. And that impairment loss? That’s going to sting for a while.
