The former Bungie employee and head of Marathon, Christopher Barrett, was fired in 2023. Now he claims that Sony and the studio behind Destiny 2 have destroyed his reputation and is going to court to clear his name.
Who is Chris Barrett? Developer Christopher Barrett was a long-time member at Bungie. He had been part of the team since 1999 and worked on various projects, including Halo and Destiny at a leadership level.
When Bungie announced the new extraction shooter “Marathon”, Barrett was set to take on the role of game director, essentially the head of the game, and lead the development processes. However, it later became known that his position was replaced by Joe Ziegler.
At the time, it was said to be a “creative renewal” to justify the decision, but according to renowned journalist Jason Schreier, other facts came to light.
According to statements from developers, Barrett allegedly behaved inappropriately towards his female colleagues. Unwanted advances were made, which ultimately led to his dismissal. Barrett is now resurfacing with a lawsuit against Sony and Bungie. The studios allegedly devised a plan to withhold money owed to him.
Lawsuit mentions serious allegations against Bungie
Why is there a lawsuit now? On his X account, Christopher Barrett reports on the months following his dismissal from Bungie. He claims to have faced “unfounded attacks” and “rampant speculation”, despite having been loyal to the studio for 25 years.
Barrett says he now wants to restore his reputation and bring the truth to light. He claims the two studios were looking for a reason to fire him, as he was allegedly supposed to receive $45 million after Sony’s acquisition – of which he allegedly only received $1.8 according to venturebeat.com.
In the lawsuit, Barrett also shares various experiences he encountered during his time at Bungie. There was reportedly a senior executive who sent “sexually suggestive material, including lewd photos, texts about his sex life (including graphic descriptions of specific sexual acts), and texts about the appearance of women working for Bungie”.
Furthermore, founding members were said to have frequently made sexist and racist remarks in group meetings. He himself denies any involvement in this behavior, claiming he even reprimanded employees for it. However, they were not punished.
So far, little is known about the case. Much is based on Chris’s statements and the lawsuit. However, Barrett sees the lawsuit as an opportunity to clear his name. It remains to be seen whether the case will go to court.
Bungie has faced multiple setbacks and larger waves of layoffs in recent years, with the company primarily aiming to increase the studio’s efficiency. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: Sony explains why Bungie was hit with layoffs
