Summary
Earlier this year, formerMarathondirector Chris Barrett leftBungierather unceremoniously despite having worked at the studio for around 25 years. Barrett had previously worked on games likeHaloandDestinyas an artist and director, and his departure from the studio seemingly had nothing to do withthe various rounds of layoffs that Bungie has gone throughover the past couple of years.
Not much is known about exactly why Barrett left Bungie at all, buta new report from Bloomberghas claimed that the Marathon director was actually fired following the results of an internal misconduct investigation. According to the report, at least eight female employees raised complaints about inappropriate behavior directed at them while working together.
Marathon’s Director Was Reportedly Fired Over Inappropriate Behaviour
After holding an investigation into the matter, it was reportedly found that Barrett regularly called female employees attractive, asked them to play games like truth-or-dare, and insinuated that his power and sway at the studio could help them advance their careers. Barrett has responded to Bloomberg’s request for comment, in which he says that he’s “truly sorry” if his comments made anyone feel uncomfortable during his time at the studio.
“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.”
While Barrett was fired earlier this year, it’s yet another sign that things aren’t quite right at Bungie, following two years of development struggles and mass layoffs.Its unannounced titles have been moved to other PlayStation studios, it’s drastically reduced the scale of future Destiny 2 expansions, and there’s reportedlyvery little enthusiasm for Marathon both publicly and internally.
Still, the fact that Bungie and Sony have so assuredly removed Barrett from the studio despite his experience is a good sign that the two are taking workplace misconduct seriously. In fact, a Sony spokesperson has responded to Bloomberg by saying that it takes “all complaints of misconduct very seriously,” and that it works to “investigate every complaint promptly.” That’s heartening to know, and hopefully, Bungie can now move on and start picking itself up again.
Marathon (1994)
Marathon is a live-service shooter from Halo and Destiny creators Bungie, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Featuring full cross-save and cross-play, you play the role of a Runner, tasked with competing against others to survive, profit, and gain reputation.
