Ex-Marathon director Christopher Barrett has announced a settlement has been reached with Sony and Bungie, after he sued both companies for wrongful dismissal, claiming they had “deliberately destroyed [his] reputation by falsely, and publicly, insinuating…he had engaged in sexual misconduct.”
Barrett’s departure from Bungie was first reported in March 2024, amid word of a leadership shakeup at the studio. However, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier later wrote – after speaking directly with some of those involved – that Barrett was fired following an internal investigation into accusations of inappropriate behaviour filed by “at least eight” female employees.
At the time, Barrett told the publication, “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.”
Three months on, however, Barrett filed a $200m USD wrongful dismissal suit against Bungie and Sony, accusing the companies of “deliberately [destroying his] reputation by falsely, and publicly, insinuating they had ‘investigated’ [him] and ‘found’ he had engaged in sexual misconduct.”
Barrett also alleged the internal investigation was a “sham” and a “premeditated scheme” designed to “deflect attention away from [Sony and Bungie’s] massive business failures” and orchestrated so the companies could “avoid paying [him] the nearly $50m he is owed under his employment agreement.” Barret also insisted he “did not do anything remotely resembling gross misconduct or ‘Cause’ as defined in the Retention Agreements… [and] had a spotless 25 year track record at Bungie.”
Sony responded with a list of Barrett’s alleged “predatory behaviour” supposedly unearthed during its investigation, which the latter’s legal team quickly rebuffed. Proceedings briefly ran aground in December 2025, when the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed the case citing lack of jurisdiction, but Barrett refiled the suit in Delaware Superior Court in January this year. And now, some six months later, the case has been settled by all parties.
“I am pleased to share that Sony, Bungie, and I have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit,” Barrett wrote in a social media post dated 8th July. “The outcome is one I am very satisfied with, 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.”
Barret also shared a joint statement from all parties: “The litigation between Sony Interactive Entertainment, Bungie, and Christopher Barrett has been settled. For 25 years, Mr. Barrett contributed to some of Bungie’s most successful games. Mr. Barrett was the original game director for Marathon, and his name has been added to the game’s credits to reflect that.” No other terms of the settlement have currently been disclosed.
News of the settlement comes at a challenging time for Bungie, which remains mired in controversy following yet another round of layoffs last month, this time affecting at least 292 studio employees. Those impacted included “most” of Bungie’s Destiny 2 team – after the game’s final update in June – as well as an undisclosed number of Marathon developers and other support staff. Bungie previously laid off 100 employees in 2023 and cut a further 220 jobs – equating to roughly 17 percent of its workforce at the time – the following year.
