Destiny 2 lead concept artist and Marathon senior art director Joseph Cross has left Bungie following a fourteen-year career at the iconic FPS development studio.

Cross, who joined Bungie in 2011 as a lead concept artist on Destiny 2 announced his departure from the studio in a LinkedIn update.

On LinkedIn, the artist set Bungie as past employment and changed their Twitter bio from “Franchise Art Director, Marathon @ Bungie” to “Art Director & Artist – Marathon, Dune, Destiny”.

Originally spotted by The Game Post, the report released following fan speculation that Cross had been shifted down in position following a new Vision of Marathon ViDoc. In the video, the game’s art director was shown as Jason Sussman which led many to assume Cross had been demoted over the game’s plagiarism scandal earlier this year.

However, in a comment to Kotaku, Cross revealed that he has left Bungie entirely of his own decision with no studio decision affecting his position at the company. “I’m super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years,” Cross told the outlet.

While Bungie’s Marathon has struggled over the last year, the future does look bright for the upcoming extraction shooter. Following the success of Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders, there is now added competition in the genre, but Marathon’s inventive world and killer Bungie gunplay should set it up for success.

At the time of writing, a lot is also riding on the success of Marathon when it launches in March 2026. Following Sony’s upset at the performance of Destiny 2 post-acquisition as player numbers continue to fall, Bungie certainly needs a win.

Marathon launches on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series in March 2026 at a paid price point of $40. The game features “improved visuals”, solo playlists, proximity chat and more following complaints in early beta builds.