A Former Bungie Tester's Final Insights on Destiny 2's Future Raid and the Human Cost of Layoffs

Destiny 2 tester layoffs and Bungie's 2024 restructuring profoundly impacted the passionate team behind the game's next epic raid.

As I sit here in 2026, reflecting on my time as a Destiny 2 tester at Bungie, a profound mix of emotions washes over me—pride for the worlds we built, excitement for what was to come, and a lingering sorrow for how abruptly it all ended. My journey was cut short in the summer of 2024, part of the widespread layoffs that shook the studio to its core. Those days were a blur of uncertainty; I found out about the job cuts the same way many of you did: through a company tweet a friend sent me. The disbelief was palpable. Yet, even amidst that professional and personal turmoil, one memory shines brightly—the last glimpse I had of a project that filled our team with genuine awe. The next raid for Destiny 2 was looking really, really good.

Let me take you behind the curtain, as much as I can without breaking the sacred trust of my non-disclosure agreement. The atmosphere in our testing pods during those final weeks was electric. We weren't just running through checklists; we were experiencing something that felt like the next evolution of Destiny's pinnacle combat. The team's dedication was 🔥, pouring heart and soul into every encounter, mechanic, and environmental detail. While I can't divulge specifics about bosses or locations, I can tell you the design philosophy was breathtaking. It aimed to blend the epic, communication-heavy coordination of classic raids with fresh, intuitive mechanics that felt rewarding to master, not just punishing to learn. The visual and auditory spectacle alone, from what we saw in its pre-polish state, promised to be a landmark.

This revelation is crucial because it speaks directly to the community's soul. I know many Guardians live for that weekly ritual—gathering their fireteam, diving into the unknown, and battling for those exclusive rewards and that ultimate title. Hearing that development had progressed so promisingly should be a beacon of hope. It was for me. Even after receiving my severance, my first thought wasn't of bitterness; it was a determination to be there on day one for the next dungeon's launch. The passion for this universe doesn't just vanish. The work being done, up until the point I left, assured me that the heart of Destiny's endgame—its most challenging and cooperative content—was in passionate, capable hands.

However, the shadow of those 2024 layoffs, which reduced Bungie's workforce by about 17%, looms large over this optimism. My story is not unique. I was one of 220 individuals, part of a testing team integral to polishing the very experiences players cherish. The human cost of corporate restructuring is immense and often invisible to the outside world. It creates a paradox: incredible content is being forged, but by teams working under the strain of uncertainty and loss. The shift from a seasonal model to the episodic content structure (Echoes, Revenant, Heresy) was a monumental undertaking, and the pressure to deliver under this new paradigm was felt in every department.

So, what does this mean for you, the Guardian, in 2026? Let's connect the dots from my last days to the game's present state.

• The Raid's Legacy: While "Salvation's Edge" for The Final Shape was the last confirmed new raid, my comments pertained to the project in development after it. Historically, Bungie's roadmap alternated formats: New Raid → Dungeon → Reprised Raid → Dungeon. My experience suggests the next entry in that cycle was far along in development. Whether it was a brand-new creation or a masterfully reprised classic from Destiny's storied past, the team's vision was crystal clear and incredibly compelling.

• The Episodic Future: The transition to Episodes was a direct response to player feedback seeking more substantial, narrative-driven content blocks. From my vantage point, this structure was designed to better accommodate the development of ambitious pieces like raids and dungeons, giving them more room to breathe and connect to the ongoing saga.

• A Testament to Resilience: The fact that such promising work continued even as the studio navigated turmoil is a testament to the developers' resilience. The content pipeline for a live-service titan like Destiny 2 is planned years in advance.

Here’s a simplified look at the expected content rhythm based on the plans I was aware of:

Content Type	Development Status (as of 2024)	Likely Placement in Roadmap
New/Reprised Raid	In active development, "looking really good"	Follow-up to The Final Shape episodic dungeons
Episodic Dungeons	Part of the confirmed TFS roadmap	Released within Echoes, Revenant, or Heresy episodes
Episodic Narrative Acts	Core of the new model (6-week cycles)	The ongoing delivery system for story & rewards

To my fellow veterans and new lights alike: Do not give up on this game. The silence from official channels about future raids can be deafening, but development in this industry is a marathon, not a sprint. What I witnessed was a team fiercely dedicated to upholding the legacy of Destiny's most iconic experiences. The layoffs were a tragic fracture, but they did not erase the brilliant work already in motion. The guardians of this game—both the players and the developers who remain—are its true constant. I may no longer have my Bungie badge, but I'll be there in the Tower, ready to embark on that next great mystery, because what was coming... was worth the wait. The light still burns, Guardians. ✨