Joseph Cross, the art director of Marathon, departs from Bungie

Joseph Cross, who served as the art director for Marathon, has departed from Bungie after a ten-year tenure.

Speaking to Kotaku, Cross indicated that the decision was his own, though he didn't elaborate on his reasons.

"I'm super proud of the project and what the team accomplished over the last six years," he remarked.

In a social media post, Cross expressed his enthusiasm to engage with the game as a fan.

He wrote, "I'm incredibly proud of the visual world we built for Marathon. Getting support at this scale for something a bit different is rare, and the art team at Bungie is the best in the biz. I'll be enjoying playing the game as a fan with all of you. Massive thank you to everyone who has supported through all of it."

Cross had been with Bungie for 13 years, starting as a lead concept artist in 2011 and becoming senior art director in 2018, contributing to the Destiny series.

In overseeing Marathon, Cross led the art direction and visual development for seven years, managing a team of over 80, including collaborators and outsourced personnel.

Previously, Cross held roles as a concept artist with Electronic Arts and Motion Theory, and served as an art director at Probably Monsters.

Bungie has announced that Marathon will now launch in March 2026 after an indefinite postponement.

The release was originally slated for September 23, 2025, but Bungie acknowledged the need for additional time to refine the game.

In August, Sony forecasted that Marathon would release within its fiscal year, reaffirming this stance in its second-quarter earnings report, emphasizing commitment to the scheduled launch.