Following former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett’s decision to sue Sony and Bungie for $200m USD, claiming wrongful dismissal, the companies have filed a response outlining Barrett’s alleged ‘disturbing communications’ with female subordinates – including “sexually charged games of ‘Truth or Dare'”.
Barrett’s departure from Bungie was first reported last March, amid word of a leadership shakeup at the studio. However, it was later claimed Barrett was fired from his role following an internal investigation into accusation of inappropriate behaviour filed by “at least eight” female employees. Things took further turn in December, when Barrett filed a lawsuit against Bungie and Sony, claiming the companies had “deliberately destroyed [his] reputation by falsely, and publicly, insinuating…he had engaged in sexual misconduct.”
Barrett’s list of accusations was long, but core to his argument was the claim his firing was a “premeditated scheme” concocted so Bungie and Sony could avoid paying him “nearly $50m… owed under his employment agreement”. He additionally claimed he “did not do anything remotely resembling gross misconduct or ‘Cause’ as defined in the Retention Agreements… and there could not have been any credible allegation he did because [he] had a spotless twenty-five year track record at Bungie.”
And now (via Game File’s Stephen Totilo), Sony has filed its first substantive response, denying Barret’s claims and detailing the events allegedly leading to his dismissal. “Multiple female, subordinate employees individually reported to Human Resources that Barrett engaged in inappropriate behaviour and disturbing written and verbal communications,” it wrote, “which made them uncomfortable and fearful of retaliation if they failed to engage or reported Barrett.”
“The investigation revealed that Barrett’s misconduct with each employee was consistent: he targeted a lower-level, female employee he wasn’t working with directly, initially engaged in friendly conversation, and progressively pushed boundaries with the employee by making subtle references to her physical appearance or expressing his interest romantically.
“Barrett attempted to create an unprofessional level of intimacy with his victims,” Sony continued in its court submission. “He requested to follow personal Instagram accounts and would express anger to the women if they failed to respond to his messages. He would bring up inappropriate topics like their body, their relationships, his marriage, or his desire to date them. He would demand that they participate in sexually charged games of ‘Truth or Dare’ and ‘Ask Me Anything’. He texted them at all hours of the day and night. He offered to buy them gifts. He often referenced his wealth and his ability to advance their careers.”
Sony’s filing also includes several examples of Barrett’s alleged misconduct, including an incident where it’s claimed he FaceTimed one female employee late at night while drunk despite requests to “recognise ‘boundaries'”, eventually moving to his bedroom and telling her, “I can’t believe I am lying in bed while talking to [VICTIM 1]”.
Barrett also allegedly contacted a second employee via Instagram direct message, telling her, “You are the holy grail. I hope you find a person worthy of your attention.” After the employee responded saying she had a boyfriend who treated her very well, Barrett is said to have told her, “He better[.] Cuz I would hit on you if he wasn’t.” It’s claimed he later made further contact, writing, “You want to be worshipped, I think? Why are you against that actually happening?”.
Other incidents detailed in Sony’s filing includes a “virtual game of ‘Truth or Dare’ initiated by Barrett”, and a Microsoft Teams exchange in which he allegedly asked a female member of staff, “Are you still in PJs? [Is] it like a button down top and bottoms? Sweat pants? Lulu lemons?”.
Sony adds, “Barrett’s predatory behaviour caused victims to seek guidance from other Bungie employees on how to manage Barrett’s constant boundary-pushing given that he was a long-standing, senior member of the company. Multiple victims reported to Human Resources during the investigation that they were afraid for their jobs during these encounters.”
In response, Barrett’s lawyers told Game File, “Sony continues to disingenuously cherry pick text messages and alleged conversations and make unsupported and conclusory statements to defame Christopher and justify terminating him to avoid paying him what he was owed under his employment agreements. It is telling that Sony does not include the full text messages as exhibits, or the full content of these conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response provides a legitimate legal or factual basis to terminate Christopher for cause.
“Christopher is confident that when all the evidence is presented, it will be clear that Sony engaged in a scheme to strip him of his role and the equity awards he earned for his 25 years of loyal service to the company.”
As well as denying inappropriate behaviour during his time at Bungie, Barrett’s original filing argued his former employers’ actions had “irreparably harmed [him] financially, physically, and emotionally”. As such, he is seeking $200m in damages – including $46K (plus interest) owed under his employment terms – and is requesting to be reinstated as game director on Marathon.
