Sony has responded to former Bungie director Christopher Barrett’s $200M lawsuit, revealing unsettling text messages and workplace misconduct allegations that led to his firing.
Chris Barrett, a longtime Bungie director behind some of the biggest projects at the studio, is locked in a major legal battle with Sony and Bungie. Last year, Bungie fired Barrett after multiple female employees accused him of inappropriate behavior. He quickly hit back with a lawsuit, claiming Bungie and Sony used him as a “scapegoat” to avoid paying him nearly $50 million in retention bonuses.
But now, Sony has filed its official response (thanks, Game File), and it paints a very different picture. The company isn’t just denying Barrett’s claims; it is backing up their decision to fire him with a pile of receipts. The court filing includes messages and incidents that they say prove his disturbing “pattern of misconduct.”
“You Want to be Worshipped, I Think?”: Sony Lays Out the Evidence
Sony’s response makes it clear it is not backing down. It argues that Barrett wasn’t fired unfairly, he was let go because of his own actions. According to the court filing, multiple women at Bungie came forward separately to HR, describing encounters that made them uncomfortable and even fear retaliation if they didn’t respond the way Barrett wanted.
The document states that Barrett would single out a lower-level female employee he wasn’t working with directly, start with friendly conversations, and then gradually push boundaries.
Sony’s response also alleges that Barrett’s behavior began with small comments about the employee’s looks but escalated to late-night messages, suggestive questions, and drunk FaceTime calls.
Sony made sure to include some of the text messages in its filing. Here’s just a sample of what it says Barrett sent to women at Bungie:
“Barrett asked VICTIM 1 to play ‘Truth or Dare’ over text message and inquired, ‘what do you think is your best and worst feature physically[?]’ He later told her in a text message that she was ‘hot.’ Despite VICTIM 1’s explicit request in writing for Barrett to recognize ‘boundaries,’ he called her late at night while drunk and after keeping her on a FaceTime call for hours, moved down a dark hallway to his bedroom and suggestively told her, ‘I can’t believe I am lying in bed talking to [VICTIM 1].’ She abruptly hung up.”
“Barrett sent VICTIM 2 Instagram direct messages stating, ‘You are the holy grail. I hope you find a person worthy of your attention’ and qualified it with, ‘I’m not hitting on you. I hope it doesn’t feel like that. I’m married. But I can be honest. You are the .000001 and better be treated like that forever.’ When VICTIM 2 responded that her boyfriend treats her very well, Barrett responded, ‘He better[.] Cuz i would hit on you if he wasn’t.'”
“Barrett also sent VICTIM 2 an Instagram direct message asking, ‘You want to be worshipped, I think? Why are you against that actually happening?’ And a few days later messaged VICTIM 2, ‘[w]hat are the steps one would have to take [to date you?] What’s the strategy guide[?]'”
“Barrett similarly told VICTIM 3, ‘I hope [your boyfriend] doesn’t mind I text you a lot’ and ‘I just worry. Like I really enjoy texting you and talking. I don’t want him to get the right idea.’ Later in the conversation, when VICTIM 3 told Barrett she was busy, Barrett stated, ‘I want your attention, so annoying.'”
“During a game of ‘Ask Me Anything’ instigated by Barrett over Microsoft Teams messages, Barrett told VICTIM 4, ‘I can see you wearing devil horns’ and ‘I have so many crazy stories. I’m sure you have a few [crying laughing emoji].'”
“In another Microsoft Teams exchange, Barrett asked VICTIM 4, ‘Are you still in PJs?’ and ‘[i]s it like a button down top and bottoms? Sweat pants? Lulu lemons?’ During a virtual game of ‘Truth or Dare’ initiated by Barrett, he messaged VICTIM 4, ‘You are an artist who likes fighting games and berserk and d&d and are cute. Why are you not the queen of the entire world.'”
“Just three weeks into VICTIM 5’s tenure at Bungie, Barrett called her late in the evening, while drunk, and told her intimate details about his personal life and asked her about who she was dating and what her ‘type’ was. He sent her a personal Instagram follow request to connect that night, which she did not accept.”
Sony isn’t just arguing that Barrett’s behavior was inappropriate, the company says it was damaging to Bungie’s workplace and legally justified his firing. The filing states:
“Barrett placed each woman in a vulnerable position in which she felt compelled to engage with this senior leader in order to maintain perceived good standing at Bungie.”
According to Sony, multiple victims said they felt trapped in these interactions because Barrett was a senior figure at the company. Some tried to set boundaries, but even when he seemed to listen, he would always start again later. The document also states his actions put Bungie at risk legally and financially. The filing argues:
“Barrett exposed Defendants to significant legal and reputational risk. He made multiple female employees who were subordinate to him feel uncomfortable, fear retaliation, and feel victimized by their encounters with him. This impeded their ability to perform their job duties and thereby hindered Defendants’ business operations.”
Sony filed a motion to dismiss six of the seven counts in this lawsuit, arguing that Barrett’s claims of defamation and wrongful termination have no legal merit. It also states that, under his contract, Bungie was fully within its rights to fire him for cause and withhold the nearly $50 million in bonuses he’s fighting for.
Sony calls Barrett’s lawsuit “outrageous” and claims that the evidence against him, including his own messages, is overwhelming. It argues:
“Hundreds of Barrett’s own written statements and the direct testimony of his many victims will demonstrate his termination for Cause was justified and this lawsuit is meritless.”
Update, February 19, 3:50 PM PT: Barrett’s legal team has issued a statement to The Game Post in response to Sony’s claims.
“Sony continues to disingenuously cherry pick text messages and alleged conversations and make unsupported and conclusory statements to defame Christopher and justify terminating him to avoid paying him what he was owed under his employment agreements. It is telling that Sony does not include the full text messages as exhibits, or the full content of these conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response provides a legitimate legal or factual basis to terminate Christopher for cause. Christopher is confident that when all the evidence is presented, it will be clear that Sony engaged in a scheme to strip him of his role and the equity awards he earned for his 25 years of loyal service to the company.”
You can read the full 128-page document here.
