Sony’s Bungie Video Game Unit Sued by Top Director Who Was Fired Earlier This Year

A former top executive with Sony Group Corp.’s Bungie video-game studio sued his former employers, claiming they destroyed his reputation by insinuating he had engaged in sexual misconduct and fired him to avoid paying him the nearly $50 million he was contractually owed.

In a lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday, Christopher Barrett’s lawyers claim his dismissal earlier this year was “textbook scapegoating.”

“I’ve eagerly awaited the opportunity to get the truth out there and tell my side of the story,” Barrett said in a statement on X. He said the goal of the suit is to hold and Bungie and Sony “accountable for their conduct and the damage that has been done to my reputation and my career.” Barrett declined to comment further.

Barrett is a prominent developer behind the lucrative Bungie video game franchises Halo and Destiny. He served on the studio’s board until Sony acquired it for $3.6 billion in 2022. Until last summer, he was also the director of Marathon, which the studio is hoping will become its next big game franchise. But in the spring, Barrett suddenly left the company following an internal investigation involving at least eight women who complained about his behavior, Bloomberg reported earlier this year.

The women raised concerns after Barrett allegedly called lower-level female employees attractive, referenced his power or wealth or asked them to play truth or dare, according to people who spoke with Bloomberg.

At the time, Barrett said he “never understood my communications to be unwanted and I would have never thought they could possibly have made anyone feel uncomfortable.” He apologized “if anyone ever felt that way about their interaction with me.”

The suit alleges that the investigation and Barrett’s firing were part of a “premeditated scheme” to avoid paying him the tens of millions of dollars he was owed and deflect criticism over Sony’s challenged Bungie acquisition and questions around development of Marathon.

“Barrett’s high standing within the company and the industry made him the perfect scapegoat to conceal defendants’ significant cultural problems and business failures,” according to the suit. It adds that Barrett “did not engage in, and has not been accused of” inappropriate sexual conduct. By terminating Barrett for “gross misconduct,” Bungie wrongfully retained the $45 million owed to him for his stock in Bungie, according to the suit.

A Bungie representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.