Marathon director Chris Barrett was fired after an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie, according to a new Bloomberg report citing sources within the studio, who say that at least eight women came forward saying that Barrett behaved inappropriately toward them.
The new report says that Barrett “called lower-level female employees attractive, asked them to play truth-or-dare and made references to his wealth and power within the studio, suggesting that he could help advance their careers.” Barrett also allegedly befriended women in various department and sent them a “barrage of text messages that blurred the lines between professional and personal.”
Internally, Bloomberg reports that Bungie employees weren’t told about the circumstances behind Barrett’s firing, believing that he was on sabbatical. Later, some discovered that his accounts had been disabled.
Barrett said in a statement to Bloomberg, “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.”
A Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson said the company takes “all complaints of misconduct very seriously. It is our policy and practice to investigate every complaint promptly and take action based on the findings of our investigation.”
IGN broke the news of Barrett being replaced as Marathon director by former Valorant director Joe Ziegler back in March. The report also detailed how Bungie was “pouring resources into getting Marathon out the door,” with the direction shifting under Ziegler from custom player characters to a selectable cast of heroes. Prior to that, IGN delved into Bungie’s struggle to address issues with crunch and workplace misconduct.
Since then, Bungie has been rocked by major layoffs impacting some 200 workers, or about 17 percent of the studio’s workforce. It’s part of an industry-wide upheaval that has impacted publishers including Xbox, Sony, EA, and more.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
