Joseph Cross, the art director for Marathon, is leaving Bungie after a solid 14 years. It's kind of a big deal because the game is expected to drop in 2026. News about his departure started spreading when he updated his LinkedIn and other social profiles to show he was moving on.

In a statement, Cross expressed his pride in the visual world created for Marathon. For him, getting big support for something a bit different is rare. He also praised the Bungie art team, noting that they are the best.

While the change in leadership is certainly notable, it's also important to remember that Marathon recently dealt with a plagiarism issue involving artist Antireal's work. Apparently, the situation has been solved. Kotaku reached out to Cross, and he said that leaving Bungie was his own choice. He stated that he is very proud of the project and what the team achieved over the past six years.

In case you missed it, Bungie recently gave us a good look at Marathon's gameplay. The game now features a solo queue, proximity chat, tougher PvE enemies, and more. There was also a change in the game's tagline, which could be related to the plagiarism incident. It went from "Escape will make me God" to "Death is the first step". I wonder what that means?

Marathon is slated to release in March 2026. So, people will be watching closely to see if Bungie can turn things around and make a success. This is especially true considering the bumpy road so far. I'm curious to see how all of this affects the final product. Only time will tell!