As a gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can’t help but be intrigued by the unfolding drama between Chris Barrett and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The gaming industry, much like a well-crafted RPG, is filled with its own share of politics, alliances, and hidden treasures – and this tale certainly seems to check all those boxes.
Chris Barrett, previously known for directing Destiny 2 and Marathon, has filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). He alleges that his termination for purported inappropriate conduct (as reported by Bloomberg in March) was actually a disguise to evade paying the $50 million he was entitled to under his employment contract following Bungie’s acquisition by SIE. Barrett is also demanding $100 million in damages, as well as additional amounts owed from retention agreements and various compensation packages.
This story broke ahead of The Game Awards (the author, former news director Kat Bailey, no longer works for IGN; games media moves quickly) and was thus overshadowed, but a fairly extraordinary document has today come to light. Connected independent journalist Stephen Totilo has been sifting through the 81-page lawsuit, unearthing an equity report that shows Barrett was set to make a staggering amount of money from Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie: $84 million in total, $35 million once the deal closed (which Barrett presumably received), and another $45 million due to him, had he not been fired.
It remains unclear what will transpire regarding Barrett’s case, whether Sony indeed attempted to dodge paying a significant amount, or if both parties are open to reaching a settlement. However, the enormous amounts of money at stake are undeniably striking. The value of a talented game director isn’t clear, but considering the over 220 Bungie employees let go in the past year, it makes one ponder how many positions were cut to help manage the various stock options, Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs), and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) due to be paid to management.
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2024-12-19 08:06