19 December 2025

Marathon Art Director Has Left Bungie

By newsgame

Marathon is losing a key developer, as art director Joseph Cross appears to have parted ways with Bungie. After a rocky year filled with controversy, Marathon is back in the spotlight, as Bungie has revealed a new release date and confirmed a price, but Cross won’t be with the team when the game launches in early 2026.

Earlier this year, Marathon made waves when its first major trailer was revealed. A lot of gamers were impressed with the game’s unique aesthetic, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Bungie. Mixed feedback from early playtests and even accusations that some portions of Marathon featured stolen art quickly covered the game in a controversial light, eventually leading Bungie to delay the game indefinitely. Now, the extraction shooter is back in the spotlight, with Bungie announcing earlier this week that Marathon‘s release date is scheduled for March 2026. The game is now just a few months away from its official launch, and while that’s intriguing, Bungie will unfortunately be down an art director.

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Marathon’s ‘Art Theft’ Controversy Explained

Bungie has been recently accused of art theft after an artist called Antireal recognized her work in Marathon’s environment.

Marathon Art Director Joseph Cross Parts Ways With Bungie

It’s unclear why Cross decided to leave the studio, but when asked by Kotaku, he confirmed it was his decision, saying, “I’m super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years.” He also went to Twitter to voice his thanks and gratitude to the gamers who have supported Marathon through development and have shown enthusiasm for the project. After expressing his pride for the eye-catching world that he and his team managed to create for Marathon, Cross also stated his excitement for the game. “I’ll be enjoying playing the game as a fan with all of you.”

He didn’t drop any hints as to why he left Bungie, but it’s possible that he simply felt like it was time to move on. After working on Marathon for six years, it’s not too outlandish to imagine that he felt like his work with Bungie was done. At this point in his career, Cross is a successful veteran in the industry. According to his LinkedIn, he’s been with Bungie since 2011 and was with EA for several years before that, working as a concept artist for Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3.

Bungie has confirmed that Marathon will cost $40 USD at launch and will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

I’m super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years.

Leaving a studio a few months out from a big release may sound troubling, but it could also simply mean that Joseph Cross wants to work on new projects. Devoting so much time and effort to one game is filled with plenty of challenges, and with one of the biggest compliments about Marathon being the game’s art design, Cross can part ways with Bungie knowing that he made the game stand out. Marathon is expected to be ARC Raiders‘ main competitor, and taking on the increasingly popular extraction shooter is not going to be easy. However, Marathon has made a variety of changes since it was delayed, with one of the biggest being the addition of proximity chat. Extraction shooters are quickly becoming the next big genre in the industry, so it will be fascinating to see how Marathon stacks up against the competition. The work that Cross has done on the game makes it a compelling take on the genre, and once it’s here, it will be exciting to see just how unique the rest of the game’s design is.