Sony has finally addressed the lawsuit filed by ex-Bungie veteran Christopher Barrett.
Recently, Sony made a move in court that sheds more light on the situation, as reported by Game File. They revealed some text messages between Barrett and female employees at Bungie, suggesting a troubling pattern of behavior.
Barrett, who departed from Bungie in March 2024 under somewhat mysterious circumstances, later realized that his leaving was linked to allegations of inappropriate conduct with female colleagues. He subsequently sued for what he believes was an unjust dismissal, seeking a hefty $200 million in damages, arguing that his exit cost him $45 million in potential earnings following Sony’s acquisition of Bungie in 2022.
In their statement, Sony asserts that Barrett’s removal stemmed from reportedly overstepping boundaries with a female staffer he didn’t directly supervise. They described his approach as starting with seemingly harmless conversations, which then allegedly evolved into inappropriate comments about her looks and unwanted romantic interest, with attempts to foster an unprofessional closeness.
Additionally, Sony’s legal response has snippets of texts and messages that Barrett supposedly sent.
Barrett’s legal team pushed back, accusing Sony of picking and choosing parts of messages and conversations to paint a damaging picture of him without presenting the whole story. They argue Sony is misleading and building a justification for Barrett’s firing without fulfilling their financial obligations under his employment terms.
His lawyers assert that Sony has not provided full transcripts of these exchanges, which could offer necessary context. They remain confident that when all evidence is finally on the table, it will reveal that Sony orchestrated a move to divest him of his position and earned equity, despite his quarter-century with the company.
