Creative and executive of Halo, Destiny and Marathon was fired from Bungie for harassing female employees

Surprisingly, Bungie has emerged as another of the companies that can serve as an example for all the bad things that are being done in the video game industry. In case the collapse of Destinythe financial collapse and layoffs were not enough, a new scandal has shaken the company as the reason why the director of Marathon.

Bungie veteran Chris Barrett fired after internal investigation into harassment

A report by renowned journalist BloombergJason Schreierexposed details of an internal investigation carried out at Bungie regarding cases of harassment against women carried out by Chris Barrett, a company veteran with experience in Halo, Destiny and who was named director of the next game Marathonthis until March 2024 when he left the project in complete discretion.

According to the information, At least 8 Bungie employees who chose to remain anonymous accused Chris Barrett of inappropriate behavior and harassmentwhich started an internal investigation in the company. This review process confirmed the allegations with evidence that he boasted about his position as a creative and executive at Bungie, as well as his good financial situation in an attempt to impress them.

From there, Chris Barrett began a series of text messages to female employees in which he made suggestive comments and invitations. At the same time, the executive insisted on playing “truth or dare” with the employees. The intention, practically, was to carry out any activity that would lead to a situation in which he could establish a close relationship with the female staff that interested him.

On the other hand, it was found that Chris Barrett tried to convince the workers to agree to his demands ensuring that, given his position, power and influence at Bungie, could achieve better job positions, as well as guarantee notable advances in their careers within the company.

When questioned about BloombergChris Barrett responded: “I feel I have always conducted myself with integrity and have been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider my closest friends. I never understood my communications to be unwanted and would never have thought they could have made anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone ever felt that way about their interactions with me, I am truly sorry.”

On the other hand, a Sony spokesperson stated: “We take all complaints of misconduct very seriously. It is our policy and practice to investigate each complaint promptly and take action based on the findings of our investigation.” Taking into account the above, the complaints and investigation that cost Chris Barrett his job were already carried out with Sony as owners of Bungie.

Finally, the report states that everything that happened with Chris Barrett was handled discreetly by Bungie and the staff. Marathon They were simply informed that the director had taken a sabbatical.

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