Bungie reportedly fired former Marathon director after HR investigation into inappropriate behavior
The report states that at least eight people have issued complaints regarding Christopher Barrett.
Christopher Barrett had been directing Marathon at Bungie up until March 2024. Other employees at Bungie were told Barrett was on a sabbatical but soon discovered his company accounts were disabled. Now, a report by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, states that Barrett was actually fired after being accused of inappropriate behaviour.
Source: Bungie
On August 28, 2024, Bloomberg reported that Chris Barrett was allegedly fired due to inappropriate behaviour toward several female employees. According to the people Bloomberg News spoke with, the stories were similar in nature. Barrett would befriend them and then send a “barrage of text messages that blurred the lines between professional and personal.”
The report also states that Barrett would call lower-level female employees attractive, ask them to play truth-or-dare, and spoke of his wealth and position within Bungie. Multiple women reported to Bloomberg that these were unwanted conversations and advances, and that they felt uncomfortable due to Barrett’s level of authority at Bungie.
Barrett offered a statement to Bloomberg News:
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.
Source: Bungie
Recently, there have been a few rounds of terminations at Bungie with the latest being 220 employees being laid off amid “economic conditions.” Bungie CEO Pete Parsons noted that this is what had to happen and that Bungie needs to focus development efforts entirely on Destiny and Marathon.
It’s not clear what shape Marathon will take when it eventually does release. A report by IGN noted that Joe Ziegler had become the director of Marathon around the time of Barrett’s departure. The article also notes that the style is “moving away from custom player characters in favor of a selectable cast of heroes,” much to the chagrin of the gaming community.
With layoffs abound, a shakeup in the game’s direction, and now with the reports alleging Chris Barrett was fired for inappropriate behaviour, it’s difficult times at Bungie. Be sure to keep an eye on our Bungie and Marathon topic pages for more information.
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