Marathon director Joe Ziegler has left Bungie, departing on Friday 17th July after three and a half years at the studio, just four months after the divisive extraction shooter launched. He announced the move on Twitter, saying he is "passing the torch" of game director to Del Chafe III and creative director Julia Nardin, whom he praised as ready to guide the game's "next chapter". Ziegler said he would be moving to a new role elsewhere, details of which he plans to share later.

The departure comes amid a turbulent period for Bungie, which cut at least 292 jobs last month, hitting most of its Destiny 2 team as well as an unspecified number of Marathon staff, following earlier layoffs of 100 and 220 employees in 2023 and 2024 respectively. It also follows news that former Marathon director Christopher Barrett reached a settlement with Bungie and Sony over his $200m wrongful dismissal lawsuit, after he was fired in 2024 amid misconduct allegations from at least eight female employees. Before joining Bungie, Ziegler spent 12 years at Riot Games, rising from game designer to senior game director.