Marty O’Donnell’s sudden departure from Destiny developer Bungie made headlines in 2014, and for the first time the accomplished Halo composer is opening up about the ordeal.

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In an interview with IGN Unfiltered, O’Donnell claims tensions had begun to rise between himself and the other studio heads at Bungie over creative and business decisions for Destiny."[T]here were things that were being re-jiggered, and my frustration with some of the business and creative decisions started to mean that I was on this side of the divide and everybody else was on this side,” he said of the differences between himself and other staffers. “And, as much as we tried to bridge it, it just didn't seem like it was going to get bridged.”Despite the disagreements, O’Donnell was caught off-guard the day he was fired from the company without cause.“The 'why’ question is actually still a question for me. I don't know why,” O’Donnell said. “I was surprised.”O’Donnell’s firing was made public almost a week later when he announced his departure on Twitter in April 2014. He later successfully sued Bungie for almost $100,000 in damages and unpaid work, a move he regards as necessary, but disappointing. Even though things weren’t good, he was troubled by the abrupt and messy end to his 14-year relationship with the studio.“I really was hoping it could be mended,” he said of the relationship. “Now, it's quite possible that it couldn't be mended, and I was just...a thorn in the side of finishing Destiny. Maybe I just wasn't as good of a leader and helper at that point, because we were on such different sides. So, I'm not saying it wasn't the right thing for us to part ways; it probably was. I just don't think it was done in the best way.”When contacted for a statement, Bungie declined to comment on the matter.To learn more about O’Donnell’s history with Bungie and his future at Highwire Games, listen to the full interview on IGN Unfiltered next week. And don't miss our month-long coverage of O'Donnell's new game, Golem.

Cassidee is a freelance writer and the co-host of a freelancing podcast and a geek culture podcast . You can chat with her about comics, video games, and Corgis on Twitter