Marathon changes course: new creative director in the game amid scandal and rumours of delay
Last month was a turbulent one for Marathon due to plagiarism issues, and at the same time, in May 2025, the team received a new creative director.
Here's What We Know
Marathon faced a large-scale scandal when the works of an artist who did not even know about it were found in a Bungie game. The company acknowledged this and apologised for the problems with art theft. However, it seems that morale has been in free fall since then. But the developers have appointed a new creative director to steer the ship in the right direction.
As spotted by Marathon Bulletin, Julia Nardin has updated her LinkedIn profile to reveal her new role at Bungie. Nardin started working as a lead narrative designer in 2019, working on Destiny, and in 2022, she became the narrative director for Marathon and Destiny: The Final Shape. In May 2025, Nardin was promoted to Creative Director of Marathon.
Recently, rumours have also surfaced that Marathon has cancelled all planned marketing activities, suggesting that the game may face a delay. And the appointment of a new creative director so close to the expected release suggests that we might get an announcement about the delay soon.
Considering the turbulent period Marathon is going through, the appointment of a new creative director could be both an attempt to stabilise the situation and a step towards revising the concept and direction of the game. Fans can only be patient and keep an eye out for official announcements from Bungie.
Source: @TauCetiGG
