Chris Barrett, previously announced as director of the Marathon reboot in early 2022, has reportedly been terminated by Bungie after an internal probe uncovered allegations of misconduct.
According to Bloomberg, Barrett was terminated by the studio in the spring after multiple female employees reported “at least eight” instances of inappropriate behavior against him.
According to allegations, Barrett formed friendships with girls from disparate departments within the studio and bombarded them with an onslaught of text messages that frequently straddled the line between professional and personal boundaries.
According to Bungie’s investigation, it was found that the developer in question asked female employees to play truth-or-dare and made references to his wealth and influence within the studio, suggesting he might advance their careers. Bloomberg claims that Bungie employees were not informed about the circumstances surrounding Barrett’s departure; some Marathon developers were initially told he was on a sabbatical before discovering his company accounts had been disabled?
“I’ve consistently conducted myself with integrity, maintaining respectful and supportive relationships with colleagues who have become like close friends,” Barrett said in a statement to Bloomberg, “Never did I intend for my words to be perceived as inappropriate or to make anyone feel uneasy.” I apologize sincerely to anyone who may have felt undervalued in our interactions.
According to Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company takes all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, swiftly investigating each complaint and taking decisive action based on the outcome.
Joe Ziegler, former director of Valorant sports, revealed he had assumed leadership of Marathon in March, amidst a reported shake-up in Bungie’s creative management, according to an IGN report. Bungie recently disclosed its decision to lay off 220 employees, citing Marathon and Destiny 2 as the studio’s top priorities, necessitating “guaranteed high-quality” releases from its team, according to CEO Pete Parsons?
