A new game director has been appointed on Marathon, the reboot of Bungie's classic Macintosh shooter series. As reported by IGN, Joe Ziegler, hired by Bungie in 2022 after departing his role at Riot as Valorant game director, has replaced previous Marathon game director Chris Barrett, best known for his work on Destiny 2's critically acclaimed Forsaken expansion. Barrett's updated bio on X now reads: "Executive Creative Director @Bungie."
Ziegler also confirmed his new role as Marathon game director on X, where he said that he's been working on the game for the last nine months. "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 wrote. In an email sent to PC Gamer, a Bungie rep confirmed separately that work on Marathon is continuing.
Hey everyone! Fun update: for the last 9Months 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.March 19, 2024
The shuffling of Marathon leadership is the latest addition in an ongoing series of disruptions at Bungie. Since its acquisition by Sony in 2022 and the unfavorable response to its Destiny 2: Lightfall expansion, the studio has endured repeated reorganizations, layoffs, delays, and departures of senior leadership. In its October 2023 layoffs, departure of Joe Blackburn, who'd been the game director on Destiny 2 since 2020.
Impressions from Bungie sources in IGN's reporting paint a bleak picture of studio morale, with staff expressing growing concerns that The Final Shape's release will be followed by another wave of layoffs. Those rumors echo ongoing fears of a complete Sony takeover at the studio, while just last month PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki stated a desire to see Bungie improve in its handling of "business expenses and assuming ability for development timelines."
IGN also reports that Marathon is undergoing a shift in direction alongside its leadership change, with sources saying the game will now feature a roster of hero characters in place of a customizable, player-specific character. The change is a significant departure from the focus on player identity that the Marathon developers emphasized in a 10th on our Most Wanted list last year.
