Bungie, an independent, employee-owned creator of world-famous videogames like Halo and Destiny, has announced major initiatives to prepare for the company’s expected and rapid future growth, including the appointment of Trace Harris and Viacom CBS’ Pamela Kaufman to its board of directors.
“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.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. Trace and Pamela also bring incredible media and entertainment experience, and we’re looking forward to taking advantage of their proven acumen as we continue to build the future of our company,” said Bungie CEO Pete Parsons.
HQ Expansion, International Office Coming in 2022
In January, as part of its ongoing plan for sustainable growth, Bungie broke ground on an extensive expansion and redesign of its worldwide headquarters. Estimated to be complete in Fall 2022, this project will increase Bungie’s HQ footprint from 84,000 sq. ft. to more than 208,000 sq. ft. In addition to building state-of-the-art facilities to support the growth and development of their talented employees, one of the primary drivers of Bungie’s expansion is to increase the commitment to the long-term development of Destiny 2, tell new stories in the Destiny Universe, and create entirely new worlds in to-be-announced IPs. The new facility will include a reimagining of its Bellevue, WA-based studio space to support multiple project teams, including those outside of the Destiny Universe. designed by award-winning architect NBBJ, the new HQ is centered on collaborative “neighborhoods” built to support the spirit of deeply integrated creative collaboration that defines Bungie’s success and a hybrid workforce of both remote and on-site staff.
In 2022, Bungie will open its first international office in Amsterdam. This office space represents Bungie’s developing global business and will be home to the company’s growing Publishing and Marketing divisions, ensuring Bungie’s ongoing commitment to unify and expand on their passionate player community all over the world.
Key Personnel Additions and Investments Announced
Alongside the additions to its board of directors, Bungie has also announced several key additions and investments into its renowned talent pool.
Newer appointments to the Bungie leadership team for the years of industry expertise they bring from inside and outside Bungie: Luis Villegas (chief technology officer), Danielle Porter (chief financial officer), and Don McGowan (general counsel).
To expand the Destiny IP and bring new stories and experiences to their highly engaged community, Bungie appointed Mark Noseworthy (vice president, Destiny Universe) and Luke Smith (executive creative director, Destiny Universe) to oversee and prepare for the expansion of the Destiny Universe into additional media. Justin Truman (general manager, Destiny 2) takes over the successful development leadership of Destiny 2.
Finally, Bungie has appointed Jonny Ebbert (chief creative officer) and Zach Russell (general manager, Incubation) to build and drive the creative vision and foundation for Bungie’s future worlds alongside the next generation of leaders at Bungie, with plans to bring at least one new IP to market before 2025. Jason Jones (Chief Vision Officer) takes on a talent-facing role to help Bungie’s top creative leadership unlock their full potential at the company.
Bungie welcomes entertainment and media expertise to the board of directors
Bungie has announced the addition of two new members to its board of directors: Trace Harris, a finance and strategy executive, and Pamela Kaufman, president of global consumer products for ViacomCBS. Harris and Kaufman bring years of expertise in multi-media IP expansion alongside their acumen in business operations scaling and join NetEase’s Simon Zhu as external members to Bungie’s Board.
Trace Harris is a finance and strategy executive with deep experience in governance, financial transactions, and partnerships for industry-leading companies across the entertainment and technology sectors. She serves as a board member, chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit and the Mergers and Acquisitions Committees for Altair Engineering, a global software company in the areas of data analytics product development and high-performance computing and data analytics. Harris’s professional experience includes 13 years with global entertainment company Vivendi, most recently as its senior US executive for strategy, finance, and M&A.
ViacomCBS Global Consumer Products, president Pamela Kaufman overseeing the worldwide licensing and merchandising of ViacomCBS’ portfolio of brands spanning Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CBS, Showtime and Paramount Pictures, and iconic franchise properties. Kaufman previously served as president of consumer products and chief marketing officer for Nickelodeon.
Bungie’s board of directors is chaired by Pete Parsons. The Board offers guidance and information to Bungie’s leadership team in support of Bungie’s mission to create hopeful worlds that inspire passionate player communities and lifelong friendships.
