Earlier this year, it was reported that Chris Barrett, a senior figure at Bungie and project leader of the Marathon reboot, had left the studio – and a new report sheds new light on his departure: He was fired following an internal investigation into inappropriate behavior.
In March, IGN reported that former Valorant game director Joe Ziegler had taken over Barrett’s role on the marathon reboot amid a creative leadership shakeup at Bungie. Now, however, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims Barrett was fired from the studio in the spring after “at least eight” female employees accused him of inappropriate behavior.
Bloomberg spoke directly with some of the women who originally filed complaints against Barrett, as well as a number of employees involved in Bungie’s investigation. He reported that Barrett repeatedly befriended women at the studio and then “bombarded them with a barrage of text messages that blurred the lines between professional and personal.” The texts Bloomberg was able to view – described as “unwanted” and “uncomfortable” by the women who received them – included “flirtatious messages … and requests to meet up.”
According to Schreier, Bungie’s human resources investigation ultimately found that Barrett – who had been with the company since 1999 and worked as both an artist and game director before leaving – “had called lower-level female employees attractive, asked them to play truth or dare, and alluded to his wealth and power within the studio, implying that he could help them advance their careers.”
In a response to Bloomberg, Barrett said: “I think I have always behaved with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider to be my closest friends. I have never felt that my communications were unwelcome and never imagined that they could make anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone has ever felt that way in their dealings with me, I am sincerely sorry.”
Bungie’s marathon reboot, currently led by Joe Ziegler, is expected to launch next year. Bungie said the project was one of its main focuses, along with Destiny, following a decision in July to lay off 220 employees – around 17 percent of the studio’s workforce. Those layoffs came after 100 job cuts last October, and many former and current Bungie employees called for Bungie CEO Pete Parsons to resign.
