Content warning: The following article and links contains references to rape, suicide, verbal abuse, and harassment.
Destiny developer Bungie has addressed the ongoing discourse surrounding toxic work environments in the gaming industry. Bungie hasn't had been publicly accused of anything similar itself at the time of writing, but it has seen the reports regarding Activision Blizzard from this week and pledged to not allow similar injustice to happen at its own studio.
Currently, Activision Blizzard faces a lawsuit that revealed an alleged "frat boy" culture within the publisher's walls. The lawsuit details claim instances of open harassment of women without consequences, marginalized people not getting the same opportunities or respect as their white male counterparts, and other toxic workplace traits. According to the lawsuit, one woman was reportedly even pushed to suicide after extensive sexual harassment at the company. Activision Blizzard has downplayed these accusations, calling some of them are "distorted" or outright false.
In a Twitter thread, Bungie addressed the state of the gaming industry and noted it wants to "make the gaming industry as a whole to be more welcoming and inclusive". That said, the company noted it doesn't want to pretend as if nothing ever bad happens at Bungie, but it also doesn't want to excuse toxicity or sweep it under the rug. Bungie promises to believe those that come forward with situations like this and promptly deal with the issues at hand. Bungie has stated that it wants to creates a safe environment for its employees in light of the Activision Blizzard situation. Bungie is preparing to make a new IP and work on Destiny 2 updates continue, so maintaining a healthy workplace appears to be a priority.
Bungie is one of the few major studios to address this following the reports against Activision Blizzard. Activision and Bungie were partners many years ago after the latter had split from Microsoft. Bungie was seeking a publisher for what would become Destiny and the two worked closely together for years, forming an alliance with a studio it had been actively competing within the years prior. The relationship eventually soured and Bungie took Destiny on the way out, giving a conclusive breakup to their pact.
As more and more stories continue to surface regarding toxic work environments at AAA studios, it could stand to drive people away from wanting to work in the games industry. With Bungie addressing the issue head-on, hopefully other studios can speak publicly - or even privately - with their employees to communicate how they plan to improve the industry as a whole.
Source: Bungie/Twitter