Joe Ziegler, the director of Bungie's upcoming title Marathon, has left the studio after three and a half years. Ziegler announced his departure on Twitter, stating that July 17th was his last day at Bungie. He is officially passing the role of game director to Del Chafe III, who will work alongside Creative Director Julia Nardin to guide Marathon into its next phase.
"I'm proud of them and I'm excited to see them helm the future of this crazy little world we've created together," Ziegler wrote in his announcement. He added that he is moving on to a new opportunity elsewhere and will share details soon. Ziegler expressed his gratitude to the Marathon community and his colleagues at Bungie for their support throughout the game's development.
Before joining Bungie, Ziegler had a 12-year tenure at Riot Games, progressing from game designer to senior game director. His departure follows a turbulent period for Bungie, which recently underwent significant layoffs impacting at least 292 employees. Those affected included a substantial portion of the Destiny 2 team and an undisclosed number of Marathon developers, alongside other staff members. This follows earlier workforce reductions in 2023 and 2024.
The news also comes in the wake of a legal dispute involving former Marathon director Christopher Barrett. Barrett recently reached a settlement with Sony and Bungie after suing them for wrongful dismissal. He alleged that the companies had damaged his reputation by falsely implying he had engaged in sexual misconduct. Barrett's exit from Bungie in March 2024 was reportedly linked to an internal investigation into accusations of inappropriate behavior. He subsequently filed a $200 million USD lawsuit.