Sony has announced the establishment of a new PlayStation studio, teamLFG, which originated from Bungie, the developer behind Destiny and Marathon. Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group, shared his excitement about teamLFG's ambitious incubation project in a recent PlayStation Blog post.
The name teamLFG, which stands for 'Looking For Group,' hints at the studio's focus on social gaming. Their debut game is described as a team-based action game that draws inspiration from a diverse range of genres including fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and "frog-type games." The game is set in a lighthearted, comedic world within a new, mythic, science-fantasy universe.
teamLFG is driven by a mission to foster friendship, community, and belonging through their games. They aim to create an environment where players can log on and find their teammates already online, recognize familiar names, and create memorable moments that become the stuff of legends and memes. The studio emphasizes the importance of players pulling off spectacular plays that can change the course of a match, describing it as "dat’s da good stuff."
The studio is committed to developing immersive multiplayer worlds that players can engage with for countless hours, learning, playing, and mastering the game. They plan to involve their community in the development process through early access playtests and intend to remain responsive to player feedback, not just before launch but throughout the game's live service phase, ensuring continuous growth and engagement.
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teamLFG's game project was spun out of Bungie following significant layoffs in November 2023, which saw about 100 employees let go. A second round of layoffs in 2024 affected another 220 people, or 17% of the studio's workforce, with an additional 155 employees being integrated into other parts of Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was during this period that the incubation project was announced.
Amid these changes, a former Bungie lawyer praised Sony's role in pushing for improvements to Destiny 2, suggesting it was a positive influence. Since then, Bungie has fully unveiled the extraction shooter Marathon and outlined the future roadmap for Destiny 2. However, there are no plans for Destiny 3, and a Destiny spinoff project called Payback has been canceled.
