Bungie scaling up to expand Destiny 'into additional media' and create new IPs

Destiny developer Bungie has detailed some major expansion plans designed to prepare the company for "expected and rapid future growth."

The Washington studio intends to more-than-double the size of its Bellevue headquarters, expanding its HQ footprint to 208,000 square feet from 84,000 square feet. 

Due for completion in 2022, the new "state-of-the-art" facility will be able to support multiple project teams, including those working on non-Destiny projects, and is being designed around collaborative "neighborhoods" that can accommodate a hybrid workforce of remote and on-site staff. 

Although it clearly intends to expand beyond the Destiny universe, Bungie reiterated that the "long-term development of Destiny 2" is one of the biggest reasons for the expansion. 

Beyond growing its footprint on home soil, Bungie has laid out plans to open its first international office in Amsterdam in 2022 to house its publishing and marketing divisions. 

The company has also made some notable personal changes, appointing finance and strategy director Trace Harris and president of global consumer products at ViacomCBS Pamela Kaufman to the board of directors, aiming to tap into their expertise in multimedia IP expansion and business operation scaling. 

Internally, Bungie has tasked chief creative officer Jonny Ebbert and general manager Zach Russell with driving the creative vision behind its next franchise, with the company hoping to bring "at least one new IP to market before 2025."

It has also appointed Destiny Universe vice present Mark Noseworthy and executive chief director Luke Smith to "prepare for the expansion of the Destiny Universe into additional media" -- again expressing a desire to turn the popular shooter into a sprawling multimedia franchise.

"We’re grateful and humbled that our independent success allows us to invest in our talented people and headquarters this year and are delighted to welcome Trace Harris and Pamela Kaufman to the board of directors," said Bungie chief exec Pete Parsons.

 "The past several years have been a time of tremendous growth and opportunity for Bungie. We are home to some of the brightest and best talent in the industry, and we look forward to expanding upon both our talent pool this year and increasing the resources to support them."