Marathon Art Director Joseph Cross Announces Departure From Studio

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I was really bummed to hear that Joseph Cross, one of the art directors on Bungie’s new game Marathon, is leaving the company. He shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he’s proud of the world-building work he got to do on the game, and honestly, that makes me even more excited – and a little sad to see him go! It sounds like he really poured his heart into creating the game’s atmosphere.

Cross expressed immense pride in the visual design of Marathon, noting that receiving this level of support for a unique project is unusual. He praised Bungie’s art team as the best in the industry and shared his excitement to experience the game alongside other players. He concluded with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to the project’s success.

Cross explained to Kotaku that he chose to leave Bungie. He expressed immense pride in the team’s work over the past six years, specifically mentioning his concept art for Marathon and his contributions to Destiny 2.

When a player asked Cross about his favorite Destiny concept art from his time at Bungie, he shared an image of various Hunter capes. These designs featured a diverse range of colors and symbols, referencing the rich backstory and ongoing story of Destiny 2.

Just days after Bungie announced that Marathon will be released in March 2026 for $39.99, Cross has left the company. The studio recently shared a look at gameplay and details about the upcoming launch.

The upcoming Marathon game will launch with four maps: Perimeter, Dire Marsh, Outpost, and the UESC Marathon’s Cryo Archive. The Cryo Archive will be the ultimate challenge, unlocked when the game’s first season begins soon after release. Players will also get to experience a new character, Rook, who specializes in scavenging.

Earlier this month, artist Antireal announced that a dispute with Bungie regarding the use of their artwork in the game Marathon had been settled. The issue came to light in May when Antireal stated that environments in the Marathon alpha build featured designs copied from posters they created in 2017.

The artist stated that while Bungie wasn’t required to hire them, it was evident their work heavily influenced the game’s design. They felt Bungie used their ideas extensively without offering compensation or giving credit.

I can’t afford the time, money, or effort to take legal action, but it’s happened so many times that big companies find it simpler to just copy my designs or pay someone to create similar work instead of reaching out to me directly.

This month, Antireal announced that the dispute between the artist, Bungie, and Sony Interactive Entertainment had been settled to their liking. However, the artist hasn’t shared details about whether any payment was made or if the disputed content will be taken out of the new game.

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2025-12-19 15:43