Bungie Initiates Comprehensive Review Following Uncredited Art Controversy

Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, is once again facing allegations of plagiarism, this time linked to their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. The latest accusations come from artist Antireal, who claims that elements of their artwork from 2017 were used without permission in the environments of Marathon's alpha playtest.

Antireal shared their concerns on X/Twitter, posting screenshots from the Marathon alpha that allegedly show their designs. "The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017," Antireal stated, expressing frustration over the unauthorized use of their work. They highlighted the broader issue of major companies using their designs without compensation or credit, saying, "I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally but I have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email."

Bungie responded swiftly, launching an investigation and attributing the issue to a former employee. "We immediately investigated a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game," the studio stated. They emphasized that this was an oversight unknown to their current art team and pledged to rectify the situation. "We take matters like this very seriously. We have reached out to [the artist] to discuss this issue and are committed to do right by the artist," Bungie added, promising stricter checks and a thorough review of in-game assets.

This incident is not isolated for Bungie. Previously, in October, the studio faced a lawsuit from a writer who claimed that plot elements from his story were used in Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. Despite Bungie's attempts to have the lawsuit dismissed, a judge denied their request, especially after Bungie "vaulted" the content, making it no longer accessible to the public. Additionally, just weeks before that lawsuit, Bungie investigated the unauthorized use of fanart for a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades, which was nearly an exact replica of the original fanart from 2015.