Sony Settlement Adds Fired Marathon Director Christopher Barrett to Credits

Sony has reached a settlement with former developer Christopher Barrett, who had been accused of sexual misconduct. As part of the agreement, Barrett’s name will be added to the credits for Marathon, the recently released extraction shooter where he previously served as original game director.

Settlement adds Barrett to Marathon credits

Barrett was originally listed as the game’s director but was dismissed after an internal investigation into alleged misconduct. Reports stated he was let go in spring 2024 after multiple women employees accused him of inappropriate behavior.

When he was fired, Barrett denied wrongdoing and said, “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.”

After his termination, Barrett filed a lawsuit targeting Sony and Bungie seeking more than $200 million. He rejected the allegations and argued the dismissal was meant to prevent payment of nearly $50 million he believed he was owed under his employment agreement. His complaint also claimed he was made a scapegoat for Bungie’s broader difficulties following Sony’s PlayStation acquisition, and that he was fired using the investigation as justification after he requested FMLA leave.

Barrett later posted on social media that the matter has been resolved through settlement. A joint statement clarified that Barrett’s name has been added to the Marathon credits to reflect his role as the original Marathon game director.

In a further statement, Barrett said, “The outcome is one I am very satisfied with,” adding that he’s grateful to those who supported him. He also said closing the dispute lets him focus on what comes next in his gaming career and that he’s looking ahead to future plans.

Who Barrett is, and the broader Bungie situation

Barrett’s current credit list includes co-creator of Destiny and original game director of Marathon. He also worked at Bungie as environment art director, a role he held as part of a career spanning nearly 25 years at the studio.

Despite Barrett’s legal fight now being resolved, Bungie’s internal troubles are not going away. In a recent development, nearly 300 employees tied to the Bellevue, Washington office reportedly lost their jobs, based on official records. The total number of employees remaining at the studio after the cuts is not known, though Bungie was reported to have employed 850 people as of 2024.

This was Bungie’s third layoff round in three years. The Seattle Times reported that Bungie previously had 1,000 employees in Bellevue, citing a 2023 annual city financial report. Between October 2023 and July 2024, Bungie laid off roughly 320 staff members.

Hermen Hulst, CEO of the Studio Business Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment, commented on the layoffs in broad terms, stating that a “significant” number of employees were affected. He specifically said it hit “most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members.”

Hulst called the decision “difficult” and “painful,” but also said it was “necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals.” The layoffs came after the end of new content for Destiny 2 and alongside the release of Marathon—an extraction shooter that has struggled with players. Sony has said it remains committed to Marathon, and reports also suggested the team is working on “incubation efforts for future projects.”

What’s next: leadership shakeups, Destiny future, and Marathon pressure

Further organizational changes were also reported. Bloomberg said Bungie studio head Justin Truman, who took over from Pete Parsons last year, has stepped down. Separately, Forbes reported that Poria Torkan, a former VP of Operations at Bungie, has reportedly taken charge of the studio.

Bungie’s financial problems have been ongoing. Reports said the company was close to closure before Sony bought Bungie back in 2022 for $3.6 billion. Sony has also recently reported a $765 million impairment loss tied to Bungie’s underperformance.

Destiny 2 issues were reportedly building around the time of last summer’s Edge of Fate expansion, which was said to have underperformed. The decision to stop further plans was allegedly made “earlier this year” after it was decided not to relaunch the franchise as “Destiny Infinity.”

Forbes reported that Bungie began considering multiple possibilities for “what the future of Destiny 2 would look like” after December’s Renegades expansion—its Star Wars-themed crossover—“did even worse [than Edge of Fate] and didn’t change sales or retention trajectory.”

Destiny Infinity was described as a relaunch that would have paired a return to Destiny’s prior approach of one major expansion at a time. However, the idea was reportedly dropped after it was decided that the costs and risks were too high, particularly while Marathon support remained a priority.

Destiny 3 “was considered, as ever,” but it did not move forward, and internal discussions allegedly pointed to production cost as the key barrier. There have been no behind-the-scenes signals that a third Destiny game is coming.

Destiny 2 originally launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2017, with a PC version following a month later. Behind the scenes, tensions between Bungie and Activision surfaced, and the two companies officially parted ways in January 2019, ending their 10-year publishing agreement five years early.

After Bungie became self-published, it still ran into financial strain and layoffs. The pressure reportedly increased as Destiny 2 expansions failed to meet expectations and the player base declined. Marathon launched in early March with a reported budget of more than $250 million, and analysts have said it has also missed sales expectations.

• Destiny 2 release: September 6, 2017 (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), with PC following about a month later
• Marathon release timing: early March (budget reported as over $250 million)
• Destiny 2 expansion developments mentioned: Edge of Fate (said to underperform), Renegades (Star Wars-themed crossover, said to perform worse than Edge of Fate)
• Reported leadership/people changes: Justin Truman stepping down; Poria Torkan reportedly taking charge

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].