Bungie reportedly fired Marathon Reboot director Chris Barrett for sending “unwanted” and “inappropriate” messages to female employees

Back in March, Bungie announced a management shakeup for the Marathon reboot project. Former Valorant developer Joe Ziegler replaced veteran Bungie designer Christopher Barrett as director. Apparently, there was more to this story than just concern for Marathon's progress. According to a new Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources, Barrett was actually fired this spring after several female Bungie employees accused him of inappropriate behavior.

What does “inappropriate behavior” mean? According to two Bloomberg sources, it includes unwelcome comments about the appearance of lower-level employees, requests to hang out together, suggestions that he might use his wealth and power to advance their careers, and invitations to play truth or dare.

According to Bloomberg's sources, Barrett befriended women in various Bungie departments and bombarded them with text messages that, according to the website, “blurred the lines between professional and personal.” Several of those interviewed described Barrett's advances as unwelcome and said they felt uncomfortable given Barrett's seniority at Bungie. Bloomberg has reviewed some of the text messages in question but is not providing details to avoid exposing the recipients.

Bloomberg claims that Barrett was eventually fired after an internal investigation during which at least eight women made complaints about him. The latter is based on eight sources, including some of the women who reported Barrett, as well as others who were involved in the investigation or spoke to the women who made complaints. Barrett's departure was kept secret: Some Bungie employees apparently thought he had gone on sabbatical, but then discovered that his company accounts had been suspended.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Barrett denied the allegations and apologized for his behavior. “I believe I have always behaved with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider to be my closest friends,” he wrote. “I have never felt that my communications were unwelcome and never imagined that they could make anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone has ever felt that way when interacting with me, I am sincerely sorry.”

Sony Interactive Entertainment, Bungie's parent company, meanwhile told Bloomberg that it takes “all complaints of misconduct very seriously” and that “it is our policy and practice to promptly investigate each complaint and take action based on the results of our investigation,” without commenting specifically on Barrett's case.

It's not clear how far back Barrett's alleged misconduct goes, but this isn't the first time we've heard of predatory behavior at Bungie. Back in 2021, IGN published an in-depth report on life at the Destiny studio, citing 26 current and former employees. Those interviewed shared experiences of “overt sexism, boys' club culture, crunch, and HR protection of abusers, as well as more complex stories of microaggressions, systemic inequalities, and difficulty being heard.”

The news about Barrett comes as Bungie is “repositioning” itself for an uncertain future. Company management has described a period of “overly ambitious” expansion and “failures” during a time of general economic uncertainty. The studio recently laid off hundreds of employees and created a new studio within Sony to rehabilitate its finances.