Sony's Marathon Game Director Exits Amid Declining Player Base

WHO:

Push Square - Joseph Ziegler, Game Director of Marathon, has left his position at Bungie.

Kotaku - Del Chafe III, assistant game director, will take over as Game Director of Marathon.

Kotaku - Julia Nardin is the Creative Director of Marathon.

Kotaku - Scott Taylor was the general manager of Marathon before being laid off.

Kotaku - Joshua Deane is the new general manager of Marathon and head of product at Bungie.

Kotaku - Lars Bakken, a senior design lead at Bungie, has also departed.

WHAT:

Push Square - Joseph Ziegler confirmed his departure on social media.

Push Square - Ziegler stated he is passing the torch to Del Chafe III and Julia Nardin.

Kotaku - Ziegler's last day at Bungie was July 17.

Kotaku - Marathon has been experiencing a decline in player counts, peaking at around 6,000 concurrent players recently.

Kotaku - Marathon hit its lowest all-time peak of 2,030 players on Steam.

Kotaku - Bungie has undergone approximately 300 layoffs, nearly 40 percent of its estimated headcount.

WHERE:

Push Square - Bungie is the studio developing Marathon.

Kotaku - The player count statistics are specifically for the PC platform.

WHEN:

Kotaku - Ziegler's last day at Bungie was July 17, 2026.

Kotaku - A full-blown PvE mode for Marathon is not expected until the fall.

WHY:

Push Square - Bungie is committed to moving forward with Marathon despite its struggles.

Kotaku - The leadership changes at Bungie are part of the aftermath of mass layoffs.

HOW:

Push Square - Ziegler expressed gratitude to the community for their support and mentioned the mission will continue in new ways.

(UPDATED July 18, 2026 01:25 UTC)

In a significant leadership change at Bungie, Joseph Ziegler has confirmed his departure as Game Director of Marathon, passing the torch to Del Chafe III, who will take over the role, while Julia Nardin remains as Creative Director. This transition comes amidst a challenging period for the game, which has seen a decline in player counts, recently peaking at around 6,000 concurrent players and hitting an all-time low of 2,030 on Steam. Despite these struggles and the impact of recent layoffs affecting nearly 40 percent of its workforce, Bungie is committed to moving forward with Marathon, with a full-blown PvE mode expected to launch in the fall.