Bungie has appointed a new Creative Director for Marathon, the upcoming PvP extraction shooter.
Marathon, Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, has been in the headlines quite a bit lately, and not always for the reasons fans might hope. Set for release later this year, Marathon was initially one of Bungie’s most anticipated projects, but recent reports have painted a pretty rocky picture for the game’s development.
Just last month, the studio ran into a storm of controversy after an artist accused Bungie of using her artwork in the game’s closed alpha without permission. The company admitted fault, apologized publicly, and promised to review its in-game assets, but the situation sent shockwaves through the studio.
On top of that, some former developers have spoken out about a tough work environment, describing the leadership as “toxic” and saying team morale has been dropping fast.
New Marathon Creative Director
In the middle of all this, Bungie has quietly made a big leadership change for Marathon. Julia Nardin has stepped up as the game’s new Creative Director, according to her updated LinkedIn profile. Nardin has been with Bungie since 2019, starting as a Narrative Lead for Destiny, and later working as the Narrative Director on both Destiny: The Final Shape and Marathon. Now, as of May 2025, she’s been promoted to Creative Director for Marathon.
Steve Cotton was previously the Creative Director on Marathon, per the original ViDoc released in 2023. But it sounds like this wasn’t a shakeup that forced anyone out. According to Forbes journalist Paul Tassi, Cotton has had several different roles at Bungie, including Creative Director, but things shifted when Joe Ziegler came on board. Cotton is still part of the leadership team in some capacity.
In other news, reports say Bungie and Sony have called off their marketing plans for Marathon, raising plenty of questions about the game’s upcoming September 23 release.
