Sony has reached a settlement with former developer Christopher Barrett, who it had accused of sexual misconduct. As a result of the settlement, Barrett will be added to the credits of recently released extraction shooter Marathon.
Barrett, who was the original game director of Marathon, was fired after an internal misconduct investigation. Bloomberg reported that Barrett was fired in the spring of 2024 after he was accused by several female employees of inappropriate behavior.
Barrett released a statement at the time saying, “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.”
Barrett then sued Sony and Bungie for more than $200 million, denying the allegations and claiming his firing was intended to avoid paying out nearly $50 million owed under his employment agreement. Barrett’s lawsuit alleged that he was scapegoated for Bungie’s overall struggles in the wake of the PlayStation acquisition, and that the investigation was used as cause to fire him after requesting FMLA leave.
Now, Barrett has issued a statement on social media indicating that all parties have reached a settlement. A joint statement confirms Barrett’s name has been added to the Marathon credits to reflect his role as original Marathon game director.
“The outcome is one I am very satisfied with,” Barrett said, “and I am grateful to everyone who stood by me. Closing this chapter allows me to focus my attention on what’s next on my gaming journey, and I look forward to what lies ahead.”
Barrett now lists his game credits as co-creator of Destiny and original game director of Marathon. He was also environment art director on Halo as part of a near 25-year career at Bungie.
After a long chapter, I’m happy to share this update. Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. pic.twitter.com/atItWZVEUS
— Christopher Barrett (@oryxeleven) July 8, 2026
While Bungie’s legal issue with Barrett is now over, the studio’s problems persist. Last month, nearly 300 staff who worked at the company’s Bellevue, Washington office lost their jobs, according to official records. It is unknown how many staff remain at Bungie following the cuts, although the studio was reported to have employed 850 staff as of 2024.
It was Bungie’s third round of layoffs in three years. According to The Seattle Times, Bungie once had 1,000 employees in Bellevue, according to a 2023 annual financial report from the city. Between October 2023 and July 2024, Bungie laid off around 320 staff.
Hermen Hulst, CEO, Studio Business Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment, spoke about the layoffs in general terms, only saying a “significant” number of employees had been affected, hitting “most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members.”
Hulst described the decision as “difficult” and “painful,” but “necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals.” The news followed the end of new content for Destiny 2, and the release of hardcore extraction shooter Marathon, which has struggled for players. Sony has insisted it remains committed to Marathon, whose team is also said to be working on “incubation efforts for future projects.”
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier said Bungie studio head Justin Truman, who succeeded Pete Parsons last year, had stepped down. According to Forbes reporter Paul Tassi, former Bungie VP of Operations, Poria Torkan, has reportedly taken charge of the studio.
Bungie has struggled financially for some time, and reportedly was on the brink of closure before Sony bought the studio back in 2022 for $3.6 billion. Sony recently reported a $765 million impairment loss due to underperformance of Bungie specifically.
Bungie’s issues with Destiny 2 reportedly began around the time of last summer’s Edge of Fate expansion, which was said to have underperformed. The decision to pull the plug was allegedly made “earlier this year” after it was decided not to relaunch the franchise as “Destiny Infinity.”
Forbes reported that Bungie began discussing different scenarios about “what the future of Destiny 2 would look like” after December’s Renegades, its Star Wars-themed crossover expansion, “did even worse [than Edge of Fate] and didn’t change sales or retention trajectory.”
Destiny Infinity would have been a relaunch alongside a return to the one big expansion model Destiny used to have, but the idea fell by the wayside after it was allegedly decided that the costs and risks were too high, especially in the context of support for Marathon.
Destiny 3 “was considered, as ever, but things didn’t swing that way,” and there has been no behind-the-scenes hints that a third Destiny game is coming, with the cost of the game’s production cited as the key issue.
Destiny 2 launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2017, with a PC version following a month later. Behind the scenes, however, tension between Bungie and Activision emerged, and the two companies officially parted ways in January 2019, ending their 10-year publishing deal five years early.
With Destiny in its own hands, Bungie self-published the game, but it couldn’t escape financial troubles and layoffs as Destiny 2 expansions failed to hit the mark and the player base dwindled. Extraction shooter Marathon launched early March, with a reported budget of more than $250 million. It too, according to analysts, has failed to meet sales expectations.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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