Christopher Barrett, the original game director for Bungie's shooter Marathon, has announced that his lawsuit against Sony and Bungie has been settled, drawing a close to a bitter $200m wrongful dismissal dispute. Barrett had accused the two companies of deliberately destroying his reputation by publicly insinuating he had engaged in sexual misconduct, and the settlement brings an end to a legal fight that had exposed damaging allegations on both sides. The outcome matters because it resolves one of the more high-profile disputes to emerge from Bungie during a turbulent period for the studio.

Barrett left Bungie in March 2024, with Bloomberg later reporting he was fired after an internal investigation into inappropriate-behaviour complaints from "at least eight" female employees. He subsequently sued, calling the investigation a "sham" designed to deflect from business failures and to avoid paying him nearly $50m owed under his contract, while Sony countered with a list of alleged "predatory behaviour". After the case was briefly dismissed in Delaware on jurisdictional grounds in December 2025 and refiled in January, all parties reached a settlement announced on 8th July. Terms were not disclosed, though a joint statement confirmed Barrett's name has been restored to Marathon's credits. The news comes as Bungie continues to face upheaval, having laid off at least 292 staff last month.