Former Destiny 2 director’s $200 million lawsuit struck back with shocking Sony response

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Although the 2025 roadmap sparks excitement about Destiny 2’s future, there is also a significant segment viewing 2024 as a challenging period for both the game and Bungie as a company. Last year saw a wave of layoffs that eliminated 220 positions, but the most noteworthy dismissal was that of Christopher Barrett, who previously led Destiny 2. Barrett has since filed a $200 million lawsuit against Sony and Bungie regarding his termination. In response, Sony has made some startling accusations in their counterclaim.

Sony responds to former Destiny 2 director’s $200M lawsuit

In December 2024, Christopher Barrett, previously the director of Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot, filed a lawsuit against Bungie and Sony. The lawsuit asserts that he was unjustly dismissed, and accuses both companies of intentionally damaging his reputation by publicly insinuating, without evidence, that they had “investigated” Barrett for sexual misconduct.

The legal action further alleges that the two corporations conspired in a blatant ploy, aiming to:

1. Transfer responsibility and divert focus away from their significant commercial collapses; and
2. Evade paying Barrett over $45 million which he was entitled to according to his employment contract. In simpler terms, the lawsuit suggests that the companies cooked up a plan to blame each other for their financial downfall and avoid compensating Barrett as agreed in his contract.

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It’s claimed that Barrett behaved in an unusual manner towards multiple female colleagues at his workplace, and Sony’s reaction involves nine pieces of written correspondence, which include text messages and DMs. One of these exchanges shows Barrett messaging VICTIM 3, “I hope [your boyfriend] doesn’t mind me texting you frequently” and “I get worried. I really enjoy texting you and chatting. I don’t want him to misunderstand.

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On the third page of Sony’s reply, Barrett privately messaged VICTIM 2 on Instagram with the following: “You are the ultimate treasure. I wish you’ll encounter someone deserving of your regard.” He added a disclaimer to his message: “I’m not trying to flirt with you. I hope it doesn’t come across that way. I’m married, but I can be truthful. You truly deserve to be treated exceptionally well, and I hope this remains so forever.

When VICTIM 2 stated that her boyfriend was kind to her, Barrett replied, “He’d better be, because I’d find myself attracted to you otherwise.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this: “Sony stated that Barrett’s inappropriate behavior towards several team members was so persistent and boundary-crossing that they felt compelled to seek advice from other Bungie employees. This was particularly challenging since Barrett held a senior position within the company for a long time. During the investigation, multiple victims expressed fear about their job security during these uncomfortable interactions, when they decided to report the incidents to Human Resources.

Christoper Barrett’s lawyer responds

Christopher Barrett’s legal representative has issued a response to Sony’s court submission, as shared with us by Game File. You can find the full statement further down: [here]

Sony persists in selectively using text messages and supposed discussions to disparage Christopher and justify dismissing him, without providing any evidence or logical reasoning, apparently to prevent paying him as agreed in his contract. It’s notable that Sony doesn’t share the entirety of these texts as evidence, nor does their response offer a sound legal or factual rationale for terminating Christopher for just cause.

Christopher believes that once all the facts are laid out, it will become apparent that Sony orchestrated a plan to take away his position and the stock rewards he deserved for his dedicated 25-year tenure with the company.

In Barrett’s initial court case, it was asserted that a culture of inappropriate conduct existed within Bungie’s workplace. Specifically, the lawsuit accused a high-ranking executive at Bungie of sending sexually explicit content to Barrett and others. This included sharing graphic images, detailed texts about his sexual activities, and messages discussing the appearance of female employees at Bungie.

The initial court case additionally alleged that Bungie operated an email system where explicit and partially pornographic material was circulated among the entire team. On occasion, these inappropriate images were displayed on a projector during studio gatherings.

Regarding the claims about unsuitable conduct at Bungie, Sony’s document states that they don’t have enough knowledge or information to confirm whether these accusations are true.

In summary, Barrett claims that Sony only had just cause to dismiss him if he engaged in certain misconduct like financial wrongdoing or inappropriate relationships with colleagues. However, Sony’s response refutes this claim, asserting that they strongly deny any allegation suggesting that Barrett did not act inappropriately enough to warrant termination.

Players are finding themselves with unreleased Destiny 2 weapons that aren’t intended to be obtained at this time. Leaked information suggests a potential “80% damage boost” feature in upcoming weapons, possibly serving as a pre-order incentive for the Apollo expansion.

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2025-02-20 15:40