Bungie Replaces Creative Leadership for Marathon
A recent report from IGN has revealed that Bungie is making significant changes in its creative leadership as it prepares to launch the highly anticipated revival of its 90s shooter series, Marathon.
Christopher Barrett, a veteran designer at Bungie, has been replaced as the game director for Marathon by Joe Ziegler. Ziegler, who previously held the same role at Riot’s Valorant, confirmed on Twitter that he has been working on Marathon for the past nine months.
Hey everyone! Fun update: for the last 9
Months I’ve been working on Marathon as the game director. We’re still baking, but I’m excited to share with you more info on the game as we get closer and closer to bringing it to all of you.— Ziegler (@Ziegler_Dev) March 19, 2024
Sources mentioned in the report suggest that Bungie is focusing its resources on getting Marathon ready for release, while also prioritizing the upcoming Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape. Concerns about potential layoffs and the studio’s financial situation have been raised by employees.
Additionally, the report states that Bungie’s new IP, Matter, has been canceled, along with another project similar to Matter. A game codenamed Gummy Bears, described as MOBA-like, is currently put on hold.
Speculations within the company hint at a mass resignation of Bungie’s leadership around summer 2026, coinciding with the final payouts from Sony’s acquisition. The rush to release Marathon before this transition is seen as a strategic move to hand over the project to Sony or the next leadership at Bungie.
Many observers attribute Bungie’s challenges to internal management issues. The studio has had disagreements with Microsoft and Activision in the past, and now it appears to be facing similar tensions with Sony.