Former Bungie Developer Discusses Marathon’s “Summer of Hate”: “You Can’t Take What I Care About Most”

The excitement surrounding Marathon was palpable after its reveal at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase. It presented a multiplayer experience wrapped in a unique aesthetic that stood out from the crowd. However, the mood shifted dramatically following an alpha test in May 2025, which left fans feeling disillusioned. This, combined with an art plagiarism controversy and significant layoffs at Bungie, soured the atmosphere. Skepticism grew, and critics began labeling Marathon as the next Concord. How does this affect the mindset of those working on the game?

“That kind of stuff hits everyone differently,” said Joseph Cross, the former franchise art director for Marathon, in a recent interview. “We experienced both phases of positivity and negativity. Personally, I manage to compartmentalize a lot of it. A big part of that is my identity as an artist; the art is what matters most to me.”

Cross, who has also worked on film projects like 2021’s Dune, acknowledged that he can’t control player reactions to the game or its mechanics. “It’s tough for me to take any of that personally because I believe in the art and what we’ve created,” he explained. “I think we’ve done something really cool, and I believe it will come together. I can’t dictate how the game plays; I’m not a designer or the game director. I can only focus on what I can control, and I feel great about that.”

He elaborated:

“You can’t take that away from me, no matter how much negativity comes from online critics or personal disagreements with Bungie’s decisions. There’s a part of me that feels disappointed, but it’s more like the frustration of bad luck. It’s like dropping toast and wishing it landed butter-side up. It feels like losing a lottery ticket or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It never feels personal, you know?”

As a manager, Cross noted the challenge of understanding how the rest of the team is coping with the external noise, especially while working remotely via Zoom and Slack. “In my role, it’s not enough to just process it myself,” he said. “I have to support the team and the project, which adds another layer of complexity.”

One concern for the seasoned Bungie artist is the significant risk and investment that Marathon represents if it doesn’t succeed. Comparisons to Concord, which took years to develop and cost over $200 million, are not entirely unfounded. Cross acknowledged that taking risks is one of the project’s strengths, but he worries it could signal the decline of AAA projects that studios like Bungie have traditionally thrived on.

“Marathon is such a massive undertaking,” he stated. “The studio took a huge gamble on this. Often, it felt like we were getting away with something. I think about the broader implications of studios funding untested projects for six to eight years, investing hundreds of millions of dollars on speculation. How much longer can this model sustain itself? I’ve been part of a few of these projects now.”