Bungie veteran Christopher Barrett was fired earlier this year following an investigation of inappropriate conduct with female employees.
Chris Barrett, former Destiny and Marathon director, was fired earlier this year “after he was accused by several female employees of inappropriate behaviour,” according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
Barrett, who had been with the company since 1999, played a pivotal role in the development of iconic franchises such as Halo and Destiny. He was also set to lead the studio’s upcoming project, Marathon. However, his career came to an abrupt halt in late March when he was let go after an internal investigation.
Former Marathon Game Director Christopher Barrett Fired Over Inappropriate Conduct
According to the report, “at least eight female employees” came forward, reporting that Barrett had made them feel “uncomfortable” and “behaved inappropriately toward them.”
The investigation revealed that Barrett had called “lower-level female employees attractive, asked them to play truth-or-dare and made references to his wealth and power within the studio, suggesting that he could help advance their careers.”
Messages reviewed by Schreier showed Barrett sending “flirtatious” texts to female employees, and “requests to hang out” with them.
In response to these allegations, Barrett apologized for making some employees feel uncomfortable while also stating that he has always conducted himself “with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues.”
“Many of whom I consider my closest friends,” he said. “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.”
Bungie’s parent company, Sony, wouldn’t comment on the “Barrett’s case specifically” but told Bloomberg that it takes “all complaints of misconduct very seriously. It is our policy and practice to investigate every complaint promptly and take action based on the findings of our investigation.”
Former Valorant game director, Joe Ziegler was appointed the new game director for Bungie’s upcoming AAA extraction shooter, Marathon, replacing Barrett last year.
