The former director of Marathon is suing Bungie and PlayStation: demanding more than $200 million

Chris Barrettformer director Marathonintroduced millionaire’s demand against Bangui And PlayStation following his dismissal for alleged misconduct. Reportedly IGN And Venture bitthe above requires compensation, which may exceed $200 million.

According to Barrett, Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) fired him from his position to avoid paying him a debt of between $45 million and $50 million. The creative was suspended in March this year after an internal investigation brought him into the spotlight for making sexual comments and advances towards employees in lower positions.

Former head Marathon claims Bungie and Sony’s investigation was farce and this was used as an excuse to kick him out of the company. He even claims that his firing occurred after he attempted to take mental health leave under the US Family and Medical Leave Act (Family and Medical Leave Act).

Via X (Twitter), Chris Barrett shared a statement saying that he had accepted legal action against his former employers. “I’ve been looking forward to uncovering the truth and telling my side of the story, and that time has come. Today I filed a lawsuit against Bungie and Sony to hold them accountable for their behavior and the harm they caused. it affected my reputation and career,” he said.

Chris Barrett, former director Marathonsue Bungie and PlayStation

Details of Barrett’s alleged sexual misconduct came to light in August of this year in a report by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg. The aforementioned journalist indicated that at least 8 studio employees accused the former director of Marathon fulfill inappropriate comments and advancesand also flaunts his power and wealth and hints that he can help them advance in their careers.

According to Barrett’s lawsuit, Sony and Bungie never asked him if the allegations against him were true. He also claims that the companies only asked him about vague text messages and that they were not of sufficient nature to warrant an investigation.

In his lawsuit, the creative claims that he was used scapegoat to divert attention from the problems Bungie faced after purchasing the PlayStation. Likewise, it accuses the companies of breach of contract, harassment and defamation, among other violations. As such, he is seeking at least $100 million in damages for defamation, as well as more than $90 million in debts from retention agreements.

A year to forget

Aside from the Chris Barrett case, 2024 has been a very difficult year for Bungie. Final formlatest DLC Destiny 2did not have the expected success and forced the studio to undergo another restructuring. In July, the company announced it would lay off 220 employees, further integrate with Sony Interactive Entertainment, and cancel its third game to focus solely on Destiny 2 And Marathon.

Barrett joined Bungie in 1999 and served as environmental art director for Halo 2and later co-created Fate. The studio named him director in 2023 Marathona proposal that has yet to see much progress.

While the aforementioned denies any inappropriate behavior, he claims there was toxic behavior within the company. He even claims that there is an email channel that was used to send “obscene and semi-pornographic content” to all employees.