A new report has emerged which claims that Chris Barrett, the former director for Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, was fired from the company in spring following a misconduct investigation.
According to a (paywalled) report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who cites "people familiar with the matter", Barrett was let go from Bungie in late March following "an internal investigation in which at least eight female employees raised complaints" regarding inappropriate behavior.
These complaints include Barrett allegedly calling lower-level female staff "attractive", asking them to "play truth-or-dare", and making "references to his wealth and power" within Bungie, as well as making suggestions he could help these employees "advance their careers". I'm quoting Bloomberg here, not Barrett, by the way.
In a statement given to Bloomberg, Barrett said that he feels he has "always conducted [himself] with integrity and been respective and supportive of [his] colleagues".
He goes on to say that he "never understood [his] communications to be unwanted", and that he didn't think they "could possibly have made anyone feel uncomfortable". Finally, he apologizes "if anyone ever felt that way about their interaction with [him]".
As Bloomberg points out, Barrett's career with Bungie began in 1999, and he then went on to serve as a staffer on major franchises like Halo and Destiny. His replacement on Marathon has not yet been announced; indeed, his firing from Bungie hasn't been officially confirmed by the company.
Barrett's apparent ousting is part of a wider trend within the gaming industry, one that has seen companies like Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, and, indeed, Bungie itself accused of perpetuating toxic workplace environments for female staff (and staff in general, in some cases).
This also isn't the first of Bungie's woes to be made public this year.
In late July, Bungie announced it would lay off over 200 staff as part of a "new path" for the company, a move that then became the center of its own controversy after CEO Pete Parsons purchased millions of dollars' worth of classic cars following the sale.
As for Marathon, we haven't heard a great deal about the game since it was revealed in May last year.
Bungie did say that it intended to stay quiet for "an extended period" to focus on developing the game, but in the wake of these layoffs and allegations, it's difficult to imagine that Marathon is in a great place right now. Stay tuned for more.
