A brand new report has emerged which claims that Chris Barrett, the previous director for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, was fired from the corporate in spring following a misconduct investigation.
In keeping with a (paywalled) report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who cites “individuals accustomed to the matter”, Barrett was let go from Bungie in late March following “an inside investigation during which not less than eight feminine workers raised complaints” relating to inappropriate conduct.
These complaints embody Barrett allegedly calling lower-level feminine workers “enticing”, asking them to “play truth-or-dare”, and making “references to his wealth and energy” inside Bungie, in addition to making ideas he might assist these workers “advance their careers”. I am quoting Bloomberg right here, not Barrett, by the way in which.
In a press release given to Bloomberg, Barrett stated that he feels he has “at all times carried out [himself] with integrity and been respective and supportive of [his] colleagues”.
He goes on to say that he “by no means understood [his] communications to be undesirable”, and that he did not suppose they “might probably have made anybody really feel uncomfortable”. Lastly, he apologizes “if anybody ever felt that method about their interplay with [him]”.
As Bloomberg factors out, Barrett’s profession with Bungie started in 1999, and he then went on to function a staffer on main franchises like Halo and Future. His substitute on Marathon has not but been introduced; certainly, his firing from Bungie hasn’t been formally confirmed by the corporate.
Barrett’s obvious ousting is a part of a wider development inside the gaming business, one which has seen firms like Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, and, certainly, Bungie itself accused of perpetuating poisonous office environments for feminine workers (and workers on the whole, in some circumstances).
This additionally is not the primary of Bungie’s woes to be made public this yr.
In late July, Bungie introduced it might lay off over 200 workers as a part of a “new path” for the corporate, a transfer that then grew to become the middle of its personal controversy after CEO Pete Parsons bought thousands and thousands of {dollars}’ price of traditional vehicles following the sale.
As for Marathon, we have not heard an incredible deal concerning the sport because it was revealed in Might final yr.
Bungie did say that it supposed to remain quiet for “an prolonged interval” to give attention to growing the sport, however within the wake of those layoffs and allegations, it is troublesome to think about that Marathon is in an incredible place proper now. Keep tuned for extra.