Sony has responded to former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett’s $200m USD wrongful dismissal lawsuit, detailing 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.”