‘Disturbing’ text messages shared in Bungie’s response to former exec’s $200M wrongful termination, defamation suit

Sony Interactive Entertainment has responded to former Bungie creative director Christopher Barrett’s wrongful termination and defamation lawsuit in new documents filed on Feb. 11. The 128-page document, first reported by Game File, is Sony’s answer to Barrett’s $200 million lawsuit from December, wherein the former executive alleged he was investigated and falsely accused as part of a “brazen scheme” to avoid paying him “the nearly $50 million” he’s owed as part of an employment agreement and to distract from what Barrett’s lawyer called Sony’s “massive business failures.”

Sony is looking to dismiss the majority of Barrett’s seven claims from his December lawsuit.

Barrett was fired on March 25, 2024, Sony’s lawyer wrote, after he’d been accused by “multiple female, subordinate employees” for “inappropriate and disturbing written and verbal communications.” Bloomberg reported on the investigation and subsequent firing in August.

While Barrett and his counsel characterized the investigation as a “sham” in the original complaint, Bungie responded by sharing detailed descriptions and transcripts of Barrett’s communication with female staff — among the messages cited from five different women, Barrett allegedly called female employees “hot,” made suggestive statements, and asked about intimate details of their lives while, at times, denying he was hitting on them. Some excerpts, per the lawsuit:

• Barrett asked Victim 1 to play “Truth or Dare” over text message and inquired, “what do you think is your best and worst feature physically[?]” He later told her in a text message that she was “hot.”
• Despite Victim 1’s explicit request in writing for Barrett to recognize “boundaries,” he called her late at night while drunk and after keeping her on a FaceTime call for hours, moved down a dark hallway to his bedroom and suggestively told her, “I can’t believe I am lying in bed talking to [Victim 1].” She abruptly hung up.
• Barrett sent Victim 2 Instagram direct messages stating, “You are the holy grail. I hope you find a person worthy of your attention” and qualified it with, “I’m not hitting on you. I hope it doesn’t feel like that. I’m married. But I can be honest. You are the .000001 and better be treated like that forever.” When Victim 2 responded that her boyfriend treats her very well, Barrett responded, “He better[.] Cuz i would hit on you if he wasn’t.”
• Barrett also sent Victim 2 an Instagram direct message asking, “You want to be worshipped, I think? Why are you against that actually happening?” And a few days later messaged Victim 2, “[w]hat are the steps one would have to take [to date you?] What’s the strategy guide[?]”

Barrett said the communications were “of mutual interest,” but Sony’s response denies that, saying several women told Barrett to stop, and that each reported the interactions with the company’s human resources offices, stating they were “afraid for their jobs during these encounters.”

A judge has not yet responded to Sony’s answer. Barrett is looking for more than $200 million and to be reinstated as Bungie’s franchise game director. Polygon has reached out to both Sony and lawyers for Barrett. We’ll update this story when they respond.