Bungie names Justin Truman as new CEO after Pete Parsons retires
Pete Parsons retires as Bungie Studio Head, passing leadership to Justin Truman, who now steps in to guide the Destiny 2 developer into its next chapter.
Table of Contents
Bungie has announced a leadership change as Pete Parsons steps down after 23 years at the studio. Parsons has led Bungie since 2015, overseeing projects such as Destiny 2 and guiding the company through its acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Read the key details, full statements from Bungie’s CEOs, and the community reaction below.
Head of Bungie Pete Parsons retires
Bungie has officially announced that longtime Studio Head Pete Parsons is retiring after 23 years with the company. Parsons has led Bungie since 2015, overseeing the launch of Destiny 2 and guiding the studio through its acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
In his farewell message, Parsons explained that now is the right moment for change, emphasizing that it is time for a new generation of leaders to shape Bungie’s future. Below is Pete Parsons’s full statement:
“To the Bungie community,
After more than two decades of helping build this incredible studio, establishing the Bungie Foundation, and growing inspiring communities around our work, I have decided to pass the torch. This journey has been the honor of a lifetime. I am deeply proud of the worlds we’ve built together and the millions of players who call them home – and most of all I am privileged by the opportunity to work alongside the incredible minds at Bungie.
When I was asked to lead Bungie in 2015, my goal was to grow us into a studio capable of creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning entertainment. We’ve been through so much together: we launched a bold new chapter for Destiny, built an enviable, independent live ops organization capable of creating and publishing its own games, and joined the incredible family at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Today marks the right time for a new beginning. The future of Bungie will be in the hands of a new generation of leaders, and I am thrilled to announce that Justin Truman will be stepping into leadership as Bungie’s new Studio Head.
I have worked alongside Justin for many years. His passion for our games, our team, and our players is unmatched. As a leader in engineering, production, and design – and most recently as the General Manager for Destiny 2 and our Chief Development Officer- he has been instrumental in bringing some of the most memorable moments in Bungie’s history to life. He lives and breathes this studio, and I have full confidence that he is the right person to lead Bungie forward.
Thank you for being the best, most passionate community in gaming. It has been a privilege to serve you. As for me, I’ll be second star to the right and straight on till morning.”
— Pete Parsons, formed Bungie CEO
New Bungie Studio Head is Justin Truman
Justin Truman has been appointed as the new Head of Bungie Studio after spending 15 years in various roles. Their journey at Bungie spans from developing weapon systems for Destiny 1 to leading the seasonal content structure in Destiny 2, and most recently managing the Marathon team.
In his first statements as Studio Head, Truman acknowledged that Bungie has made mistakes in the past. However, he emphasized the studio’s commitment to learning from those experiences and working more closely with the gaming community to shape the future together.
Below is Justin Truman’s full statement:
“In the 15 years I’ve been a developer at Bungie, I’ve worn a lot of different hats.
As an engineer, I wrote some code I’m really proud of for our original weapon, abilities, and networking in Destiny 1. As a designer, I helped craft many of our Destiny 2 systems (including some of the endgame systems I got terribly wrong at Destiny 2 launch). As a producer, I helped our team build and roll out Destiny’s first Seasons. More recently, I’ve helped with our overall talent strategy as Chief Development Officer, and have been helping the Marathon team as we build our next world.
Across all of these different roles, Bungie’s purpose has stayed clear: “We create worlds that inspire friendship”.
When we’re at our best – we create those worlds alongside you, our player community, and build something that matters. Something that’s worth your time, your passion, and your investment in us. Something that I’ve learned, hopefully, overdelivers.
I’ve also been part of these efforts at Bungie when we’ve maybe not been at our best. When we’ve stumbled and realized through listening to our community that we had missed the mark. I know I’ve personally learned a lot over the years, as have all of us here, from those conversations.
I am committed to supporting and working alongside every member of the team here as we continue pouring our hearts and souls into these worlds. Worlds that we love, and that we hope have been worth your time and your passion. Because ultimately those worlds only exist, and thrive, with you in them.
We are hard at work right now doing that – both with Marathon and Destiny. We’re currently heads down, but we’ll have more to show you in both of these worlds later this year.
In closing – I know I can speak for all of Bungie when I say:
I appreciate your passion, your perspective, and the time you spend with us.
Per Audacia Ad Astra,”
— Justin Truman, Studio Head, Bungie
Bungie CEO change community reaction
It’s unusual in the gaming community to see a CEO change met with such celebration. Pete Parsons had lost favor among players due to recent Bungie layoffs, concerns around the Marathon project, and unpopular system changes in Destiny 2. Twitter and Reddit threads are full of harsh comparisons, sometimes an overreaction, but at least a strong reflection of how many active players viewed Bungie’s former CEO. Many in the community had been calling for change for a long time, and this leadership shift is the closest thing to it.
As for Justin Truman, the good news is that he is an engineer and game developer first, not a marketing team representative. While many gaming companies are driven by business priorities, the hope is that Truman will keep the quality of Destiny 2 and Marathon as the main focus.
Our concern is that a single leadership change, even at the CEO level, may not be enough to bring quick or meaningful improvements to a studio as large as Bungie. Marathon is expected to launch before March 2026, while the next major chapter of Destiny 2 is already underway. In addition, Sony may continue to exert strong influence over Bungie’s monetization strategies and overall priorities. Even if Justin Truman proves to be a capable leader who truly cares about the games, that alone might not be enough to resolve the ongoing issues with Destiny and Marathon.
Stay prepared for every update in the game with a Destiny 2 boost.
Comments