Back in March, Bungie announced a leadership shakeup for its Marathon reboot project, with former Valorant developer Joe Ziegler replacing veteran Bungie designer Christopher Barrett as director. It seems there’s more to this story than concerns over Marathon’s progress. According to a new report from Bloomberg citing anonymous sources, Barrett was actually fired this spring after being accused by multiple female Bungie employees of inappropriate behavior.
What does “inappropriate behavior” mean? According to two Bloomberg sources, it includes comments about the appearance of lower-level employees, requests to spend time with them, 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 departments at Bungie and bombarded them with text messages that the site said “blurred the lines between the professional and the personal.” Several people interviewed described Barrett’s advances as unwanted and said they felt uncomfortable given his seniority at Bungie. Bloomberg reviewed some of the text messages in question but did not share details to avoid exposing their recipients.
Bloomberg claims that Barrett was ultimately fired following an internal investigation in which at least eight women filed complaints against him. This latest information comes from eight sources, including some of the women who reported Barrett and others who participated in the investigation or spoke to the women who filed complaints. Barrett’s departure was largely overlooked: Some Bungie staffers apparently thought he had gone on sabbatical, only to discover that his corporate accounts had been deactivated.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Barrett both rejected the allegations and apologized for his behavior. “I feel I have always conducted myself with integrity and have always been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider to be my closest friends,” he wrote. “I never understood my communications to be unwanted and never thought they would make anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone felt that way about their interactions with me, I am truly sorry.”
Bungie's parent company, Sony Interactive Entertainment, 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 findings of our investigation,” without commenting on Barrett's case specifically.
It’s unclear exactly when Barrett’s alleged misconduct dates back to, but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about predatory behavior at Bungie. In 2021, IGN published an in-depth report on life at Destiny, citing 26 current and former employees. Those interviewed shared experiences of “blatant sexism, boys’ club culture, crunch, and HR protection of abusers, as well as more complex stories of microaggressions, systemic inequality, and struggles to be heard.”
Barrett's announcement comes as Bungie “repositions” itself for an uncertain future, after what executives described as a period of “overambitious” expansion and “misfires” amid broader economic uncertainty. The studio recently laid off hundreds of people and created a new studio within Sony to shore up its finances.