Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, faces renewed allegations of plagiarism, this time concerning their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Artist Antireal has accused the studio of using their designs without permission or credit. Antireal's accusations come with visual evidence from Marathon's alpha playtest, where they identified their icons and graphics, originally shared on social media in 2017, integrated into the game's environments.
the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross pic.twitter.com/0Csbo48Jgb
— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025
In a statement on X/Twitter, Antireal expressed frustration over the repeated exploitation of their work by major companies, stating, "Bungie is, of course, not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language I have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution." They highlighted the struggle to earn a living from their art amidst such practices.
Bungie responded swiftly, launching an investigation and attributing the issue to a former artist. The studio stated, "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. This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred."
The company emphasized its commitment to rectifying the situation, stating, "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. As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission."
To prevent future incidents, Bungie plans to review its in-game assets and implement stricter checks on artist contributions. The studio values the creativity and dedication of artists and aims to uphold their rights.
This incident is part of a pattern of accusations against Bungie. In October, the studio faced a lawsuit from a writer who alleged that plot elements from his story were used in Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. Despite Bungie's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, a judge denied their request as the studio struggled to provide evidence, especially after vaulting the content, making it no longer accessible to the public.
Additionally, just weeks before the lawsuit, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was nearly identical to fanart from 2015, replicating every detail down to the brush strokes and smudges.
