Christopher Barrett, a 25-year Bungie veteran who sued Sony for $100 million after he was fired by the PlayStation 5 maker following what it claims was a “pattern of misconduct” linked to unwanted messages he exchanged with female employees, has settled its legal dispute with the company. Barrett claimed the termination was a “breach of contract” for not paying him more than $80 million Sony would owe him following its $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie in 2022.
“I am pleased to announce that Sony, Bungie and I have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit,” Barrett said. posted on July 8. “I am very pleased with the outcome and am grateful to everyone who supported me. Closing this chapter allows me to focus my attention on the rest of my gaming journey and I look forward to what lies ahead.”
He also shared a joint statement from the settlement:
The dispute between Sony Interactive Entertainment, Bungie and Christopher Barrett has been settled. For 25 years, Mr. Barrett contributed to some of Bungie’s most successful games. Mr. Barrett was the first game director for Marathonand his name was added to the game’s credits to reflect this.
After a long chapter, I’m happy to share this update. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey. pic.twitter.com/atItWZVEUS
– Christophe Barrett (@oryxeleven) July 8, 2026
Barrett, whose work at Bungie dates back to 1998 Myth II: Chimeraquietly left Bungie in 2024 in full swing Marathondevelopment. Bloomberg later reported that he was fired after an investigation by Sony into text messages he sent to female employees. “If anyone has ever felt this way about their interaction with me, I am truly sorry,” he said at the time. Months later, he continuedclaiming that Sony’s investigation was a “sham” and that his firing was a ploy to avoid paying him the full bonus from the sale of the studio.
In February 2025, Sony goes on the offensive, publish some of the text messages in question. “Are you still in your pajamas?” read one. “[I]Is it like a buttoned top and bottom? Sweatpants? Lulu lemons? In another, he called a female employee the “Holy Grail” and added: “I’m not hitting on you. I hope that’s not the case. I am married. But I can be honest. You are .000001 and you better be treated like that forever.
Barrett’s lawyers countered that the messages were “cherry-picked.” “It is telling that Sony does not include the full-text messages as exhibits, nor the full contents of these conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response provides a legitimate legal or factual basis for terminating Christopher for cause,” they said. said Game file at the time.
Although financial terms of the settlement, if any, were not disclosed, with Barrett’s name being added to the credits of Marathon is clearly a vindication for him in this matter. This comes after Bungie itself just experienced one of the worst massive layoffs in its history after the end of Destiny 2. While new seasonal content for Marathon will continue, at least until this year; the rest of the studio’s future after losing nearly 300 employees is far from clear.
