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In an unexpected twist, Marathon art director Joseph Cross has left Bungie shortly before the game’s scheduled March 2026 release date.
Marathon is a prominent project for Bungie, as it was first revealed in 2023 as a first-person shooter, a new part of the classic Marathon series and one of the first-party titles for the PlayStation platform, and the game was initially set for a release date of September 23, 2025, before it was later postponed against the backdrop of several controversies, most notably accusations of artistic theft in some design elements.
Earlier this month, Bungie re-revealed Marathon with a new gameplay trailer, confirming its commitment to release the game in March 2026, but this announcement has now coincided with the departure of one of the most prominent leadership names in the development team.
As spotted by The Game Post, Joseph Cross updated his LinkedIn account and removed his current job title at Bungie, noting that his employment ends in 2025, later Kotaku confirmed the news of his official departure without any comment from Cross himself or Bungie at the time of writing this report.
The reasons for this departure are still unclear, as there are many possibilities between the fact that he ended his technical role in the project or his personal desire to leave the studio, and this comes at a time when Bungie is going through a sensitive period after a series of challenges that included legal issues and fluctuating commercial performance despite its strong legacy with games such as Destiny 2.
In any case, Bungie is expected to announce the appointment of a new art director in the coming period, especially as the launch date approaches, as maintaining Marathon’s artistic identity and stabilizing the development process will be crucial to the success of the project when it is released.
