Marathon senior art director Joseph Cross to leave Bungie

Cross claims it was his decision to leave after over six years of work with the developer.

As we head into 2026, Marathon is one of the more chaotic stories still in motion for next year, and it appears to have recently gotten even more so. Through delay woes and re-reveals, it seems Marathon’s Senior Art Director, Joseph Cross, is leaving Bungie and the Marathon project at the end of 2025.

Signs of Cross’s resignation from Bungie were first spotted by The Game Post, which noted that his position on his LinkedIn profile had an end year on it. Kotaku then confirmed with Cross himself that the resignation was indeed legit, claiming it was his decision to leave the company.

“I’m super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years,” Cross said in a statement.

This news comes just a few days after it was announced that Marathon will launch in March 2026. Marathon has been through some bumpy times, including hard feedback on its previous alpha that pushed the team to go back for major adjustments before showing it again. However, one of the more notable issues was when it was reported Marathon might be using artists’ work without their permission in its cosmetics.

While that art dispute was settled, the air of trouble has remained with Marathon. Despite that, the game is still targeting March release despite Cross’s exit. As we watch for further updates, stay tuned to the Marathon topic.