Former Marathon director reportedly fired from Bungie over inappropriate conduct

Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon experienced a leadership change in March 2024, with Chris Barrett exiting the company and former Valorant director Joe Ziegler taking over as Marathon‘s director. However, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier now reports that the move resulted from Chris Barrett’s firing following internal accusations of inappropriate behavior.

Bloomberg’s report comes in the wake of Bungie’s July layoffs and further integration into Sony, which also saw Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy leave the studio.

According to Bloomberg’s multiple sources, unnamed to protect privacy, Barrett’s behaviors extended to multiple women from different roles and disciplines across Bungie. Reported behavior includes a deluge of unwanted text messages, comments on physical appearance, invitations to hang out or play truth-or-dare, and even indications that Barrett could use his influence to advance careers.

The Bloomberg report alleges that Barrett was fired from Bungie after an internal investigation. Barrett’s departure was not made abundantly clear to other employees, with some believing he’d been on a sabbatical until discovering his studio accounts had become inactive. 

Barrett told Bloomberg: “I feel that I have always conducted myself with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider my closest friends. I never understood my communications to be unwanted and I would have never thought they could possibly have made anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone ever felt that way about their interaction with me, I am truly sorry.”

Sony also spoke with Bloomberg, noting that it takes “all complaints of misconduct very seriously” and that “it is our policy and practice to investigate every complaint promptly and take action based on the findings of our investigation,” though Sony never references Barrett directly.

Since Bloomberg’s report broke, Bungie has seemingly made attempts to distance itself from Barrett, including making a 2023 Marathon announcement Q&A video featuring Barrett and Scott Taylor private and unavailable.