Joseph Cross, the franchise art director who defined Marathon’s polarizing visual identity over six years of development, has left Bungie by choice according to confirmation provided to Kotaku on December 18, 2025. Cross’ departure comes just months before Marathon’s targeted March 2026 release window, following a tumultuous year that saw the extraction shooter face art theft scandals, massive studio layoffs that eliminated 220 jobs, leadership turmoil including the firing of the original game director for misconduct, and overwhelmingly negative community reception to gameplay reveals that forced major course corrections.
Six Years Building an Art Style Nobody Asked For
Joseph Cross joined Bungie as senior art director in March 2018, coinciding with when Marathon entered development as Bungie’s next major project beyond Destiny. Over six years, Cross established the extraction shooter’s distinctive visual language that blends dark sci-fi atmosphere with bold stylized elements, creating what he described as taking visual and creative risks inspired by films like Spider-Verse, the work of Alberto Mielgo, and influences ranging from Formula 1 racing to conceptual art and photography.
When Marathon’s gameplay was finally revealed in May 2025 after years of secrecy, the community response was brutal. Players criticized the art direction as generic, visually cluttered, lacking the atmospheric dread teased in earlier promotional materials, and failing to capture what made the original 1994 Marathon trilogy special. The exterior environments looked washed out and bland, character designs felt uninspired, and the overall aesthetic failed to differentiate Marathon from countless other sci-fi shooters flooding the market.
Cross defended the artistic vision in interviews and social media posts, explaining how the team drew from diverse influences to create something unique. However, fan backlash intensified when Bungie’s December 2025 ViDoc showed significantly improved visuals with better lighting, more atmospheric environments, and refined color palettes that looked far superior to what was shown in May. This raised uncomfortable questions about whether the original reveal was rushed or if Cross’ artistic direction had been overruled by leadership demanding changes after negative reception.
In a statement to Kotaku following reports of his departure, Cross said he’s super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years. Whether this pride is justified will be determined when Marathon launches in March 2026 and players finally experience the complete vision rather than fragmented reveals and alpha builds that failed to impress.
The Art Theft Scandal That Destroyed Credibility
The biggest controversy surrounding Marathon’s art direction erupted in May 2025 when independent artist Antireal discovered her original designs had been copied wholesale into Marathon’s alpha build without permission, credit, or compensation. Side-by-side comparisons showed 1:1 asset theft where Bungie’s environmental textures, decals, and design elements were lifted directly from Antireal’s 2017 portfolio, creating an embarrassing plagiarism scandal for a AAA studio with massive resources.
Joseph Cross issued a public apology explaining that a former artist who worked on Marathon during early pre-production created a decal sheet using Antireal’s designs without permission or acknowledgment, and this sheet somehow made it into the final alpha build despite multiple rounds of review. The explanation rang hollow to critics who pointed out that Cross and several other Bungie employees had been following Antireal on social media for years, suggesting they were aware of her work when the theft occurred.
Making the situation worse, Cross and game director Joe Ziegler addressed the scandal on a painfully uncomfortable livestream where they apologized profusely while showing zero Marathon footage because the team was still scrubbing all assets to ensure no additional stolen art remained. The entire presentation felt desperate and unprofessional, damaging Marathon’s reputation further at a time when the game desperately needed positive momentum going into its rescheduled 2026 launch.
Antireal eventually announced in December 2025 that the Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction, suggesting financial compensation and acknowledgment were provided. However, the damage to Marathon’s credibility and Bungie’s reputation as a trustworthy studio had already been done, with community sentiment souring on a project that already faced skepticism about its live service extraction shooter model.
Leadership Chaos That Never Stopped
Joseph Cross’ departure represents the latest in a series of leadership changes that have plagued Marathon since its announcement in May 2023. Original game director Christopher Barrett, a 25-year Bungie veteran who worked on Halo and Destiny, was removed from the project in March 2024 after an internal investigation into inappropriate workplace behavior involving at least eight female employees. Barrett was formally fired in April 2024 and subsequently sued Sony and Bungie for over $200 million, claiming wrongful dismissal.
Barrett was replaced by Joe Ziegler, former game director of Riot’s Valorant who joined Bungie in 2022. Under Ziegler’s leadership, Marathon’s direction shifted somewhat, including moving away from custom player characters in favor of a selectable cast of heroes similar to Overwatch or Apex Legends. This change addressed some community concerns about lack of character identity but also suggested the game’s core design remained unsettled deep into development.
In June 2025, Julia Nardin was promoted from narrative director to creative director on Marathon, adding another layer of leadership restructuring just months before the planned release. Multiple director changes in rapid succession typically signal fundamental problems with project vision, internal disagreements about direction, or studio management losing confidence in leadership’s ability to deliver. Whatever the cause, constant leadership turnover creates development chaos where priorities shift, work gets redone, and teams lose morale watching years of effort potentially wasted.
Adding to the instability, IGN reported in March 2024 that there’s a growing expectation within Bungie that senior company leadership will leave in droves in summer 2026 when final payouts from Sony’s acquisition take effect. This creates perverse incentives where executives push to get Marathon out the door before their departures, letting whoever takes over afterward worry about sustaining a potentially flawed product rather than delaying to ensure quality.
The Layoffs That Gutted Bungie
Joseph Cross survived two massive waves of layoffs that devastated Bungie in 2023 and 2024, though many of his colleagues weren’t as fortunate. In October 2023, Bungie laid off approximately 100 employees amid cost-cutting measures that also saw Marathon delayed from 2024 to 2025. The layoffs created a soul-crushing atmosphere according to employees who spoke to IGN, with morale tanking as workers watched friends lose jobs while executives refused to take pay cuts.
The second wave hit July 2024 when Bungie eliminated 220 positions, representing 17 percent of its global workforce. CEO Pete Parsons acknowledged that rising development costs, industry shifts, and economic conditions required substantial changes to focus entirely on Destiny and Marathon. An additional 155 roles were integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment, while one incubation project was spun out to form a new PlayStation Studios team, effectively ending Bungie’s ambitions beyond its two flagship franchises.
These layoffs particularly impacted Marathon’s development because they came less than two years before the rescheduled March 2026 release date. Losing experienced developers during crunch periods creates knowledge gaps, forces remaining staff to absorb additional workloads, and delays progress as new hires get onboarded. Former Marathon developers who were laid off subsequently shared stories about toxic leadership, humiliating work environments, and creative decisions made without input from the people actually building the game.
The fact that Joseph Cross chose to leave rather than being forced out suggests either he secured another opportunity too good to refuse, disagreed with the creative direction Marathon was being pushed toward, or simply burned out after six years on a troubled project that may still fail despite everyone’s efforts. Art directors typically command high fees and often move on once they’ve established a visual identity, making Cross’ departure potentially standard industry practice rather than a red flag, though the timing raises eyebrows.
What Marathon Needs to Survive March 2026
Marathon faces an uphill battle launching in March 2026 into a saturated extraction shooter market dominated by Escape from Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown, and various free-to-play competitors that have refined the formula over years of live service iteration. Bungie’s plan to charge $40 for Marathon while competitors offer free entry creates immediate friction with an audience skeptical about the game’s value proposition after disappointing reveals and constant negative press.
The December 2025 ViDoc attempted damage control by showing improved visuals, confirming proximity chat and solo play options that community demanded, and emphasizing the dark sci-fi world-building that initial reveals failed to showcase. Whether these changes can overcome the overwhelmingly negative first impressions remains uncertain, especially with Joseph Cross no longer guiding the artistic vision through whatever final polish and adjustments occur before launch.
Bungie also faces the fundamental problem that extraction shooters represent an incredibly niche genre requiring specific player mindsets and massive time investments to master. Destiny’s audience skews toward co-op PvE experiences with occasional PvP, making Marathon a risky pivot toward hardcore competitive gameplay that may alienate existing Bungie fans while failing to convert dedicated Tarkov players who see no reason to abandon their game for an unproven alternative.
The March 2026 release window also puts Marathon in direct competition with other major launches and just months before leadership reportedly expects to cash out and potentially leave. If the game launches to mixed reviews and modest player counts, Bungie may lack both the resources and leadership commitment to sustain the extensive post-launch support that extraction shooters require to build communities and iterate toward success.
FAQs
Why did Joseph Cross leave Bungie?
Joseph Cross confirmed to Kotaku on December 18, 2025 that he left Bungie by choice after six years as Marathon’s franchise art director. Specific reasons weren’t disclosed, but he stated he’s super proud of the project and what the team accomplished. His departure comes just months before Marathon’s March 2026 release.
Who was Marathon’s original director?
Christopher Barrett was Marathon’s original game director but was removed from the project in March 2024 and fired in April 2024 after an internal investigation into inappropriate behavior involving at least eight female employees. He was replaced by Joe Ziegler, former director of Valorant.
What was the Marathon art theft scandal?
In May 2025, independent artist Antireal discovered Bungie had used her original designs in Marathon without permission. Art director Joseph Cross apologized, claiming a former artist created a decal sheet with stolen assets during pre-production that made it into the alpha build. The issue was resolved in December 2025.
When does Marathon release?
Marathon is targeting a March 2026 release window after being delayed from its original 2024 target, then 2025. The extraction shooter will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC with a $40 price tag and planned live service support.
How many people did Bungie lay off?
Bungie laid off approximately 100 employees in October 2023, then another 220 employees in July 2024, representing 17 percent of its global workforce. An additional 155 roles were integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment. The layoffs significantly impacted Marathon’s development.
What is Marathon’s art style?
Marathon features a dark sci-fi aesthetic with stylized elements inspired by Spider-Verse, Alberto Mielgo’s work, and diverse influences from motorsports to conceptual art. Initial reveals received criticism for looking generic and cluttered, though December 2025 footage showed significant visual improvements.
Is Marathon an extraction shooter?
Yes, Marathon is a PvPvE extraction shooter where players compete to collect loot and extract safely while fighting other players and AI enemies. The genre is similar to Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown, requiring high-stakes decision-making about when to risk staying versus escaping with rewards.
Will Marathon be free to play?
No, Marathon will cost $40 at launch despite competing with free-to-play extraction shooters. Bungie plans to support it as a live service game with ongoing content updates, though details about post-launch monetization through cosmetics or battle passes remain unclear.
Conclusion
Joseph Cross leaving Bungie just months before Marathon’s March 2026 launch adds another layer of uncertainty to one of gaming’s most troubled high-profile projects. Six years of development under Cross’ artistic leadership produced a visual identity that faced harsh criticism, plagiarism scandals, and constant negative community reception that forced Bungie to significantly revise the presentation between May and December 2025. Whether his departure represents natural career progression or a sign of deeper problems depends on perspective and how Marathon ultimately performs.
The timing feels particularly awkward given that Marathon desperately needs stability heading into launch after years of leadership chaos, massive layoffs, and constant bad press. Art directors typically don’t leave projects mere months before release unless something fundamental has changed, whether that’s creative disagreements, burnout, better opportunities elsewhere, or recognition that the ship is sinking and it’s time to escape before everything collapses.
What makes Cross’ departure more concerning is the broader context of Bungie’s dysfunction. The studio has hemorrhaged talent through layoffs and departures, faces rumors of mass executive exodus in summer 2026 after Sony acquisition payouts complete, and struggles under the weight of unrealistic expectations for both Destiny 2 and Marathon to generate sufficient revenue to justify Sony’s investment. Marathon launching to disappointing sales or player counts could trigger another round of layoffs or even Bungie’s absorption into Sony as a support studio.
The December 2025 ViDoc showing significantly improved visuals compared to May’s reveal raises questions about whether Cross’ artistic vision was being overruled in favor of more conventional approaches that test better with focus groups. If the final game looks dramatically different from what Cross spent six years developing, that suggests his departure may have been inevitable once leadership decided to pivot away from his direction toward safer, more commercially viable aesthetics.
For Marathon to succeed, it needs to overcome tremendous skepticism from a community burned by disappointing reveals, art theft scandals, constant negative press about Bungie’s internal dysfunction, and saturation in the extraction shooter market where free alternatives already exist. The $40 price tag creates an immediate barrier when competitors charge nothing, meaning Marathon must prove it offers substantially more value than established alternatives to justify the entry cost.
Whether Joseph Cross’ six years of work will be vindicated when Marathon launches in March 2026 or forgotten if the game flops remains to be seen. Art directors establish visual identities that persist long after their departures, meaning Cross’ aesthetic will define Marathon regardless of whether he’s there to defend it. If the game succeeds, he’ll be credited with creating a distinctive look that differentiated Marathon in a crowded market. If it fails, critics will point to the controversial art direction as one factor among many that doomed the project.
The broader lesson here is that even talented individuals with strong portfolios cannot overcome fundamental project dysfunction. Cross worked on prestigious projects including Destiny and Dune before Marathon, establishing himself as a skilled art director capable of defining compelling visual worlds. But no amount of artistic talent can save a game plagued by leadership chaos, massive layoffs, toxic work environments, plagiarism scandals, and unclear creative vision that shifts constantly as directors get replaced and priorities change.
Marathon’s March 2026 launch will determine whether Bungie can still create successful new IP or if the studio’s best days ended with Destiny. For Joseph Cross, his next project will reveal whether Marathon’s troubled development reflected his limitations or circumstances beyond any single person’s control. Either way, his departure marks another chapter in one of gaming’s most fascinating and depressing development stories of the past decade.