Bungie reviews uncredited art use

Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, faces renewed plagiarism allegations as another artist claims their work was incorporated into the environments of the upcoming sci-fi shooter Marathon without permission.

Following similar claims from multiple artists and a writer regarding unauthorized use of their work, digital artist Antireal recently presented evidence suggesting their original icon designs from 2017 appeared in Marathon's alpha playtest.

The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017.

— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025

"While Bungie isn't obligated to hire me for a game that coincidentally shares design elements I've developed over the past decade, directly copying my work without compensation or credit crosses a line," Antireal stated on social media platform X. "I lack the means to pursue legal action, but this marks yet another instance where major corporations find it easier to appropriate my designs than to properly commission them."

Bungie responded swiftly to the allegations, initiating an internal investigation and contacting the affected artist. The studio attributed the incident to a former employee's actions.

"Our immediate investigation confirmed a former artist improperly included unauthorized decals in a texture sheet later used in-game," Bungie stated. "Our current art team was unaware of this violation, and we're examining how this oversight occurred."

The company emphasized its commitment to ethical practices: "We've contacted the artist to address this appropriately. Moving forward, we're implementing enhanced review processes for all in-game assets to prevent recurrence. We deeply respect artistic originality and will rectify this situation."

This controversy follows recent legal trouble for Bungie regarding allegedly uncredited use of narrative elements from a writer's work in Destiny 2's 2017 Red War campaign. Despite Bungie's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, the case proceeds after a judge rejected their motion - complicated by Bungie's removal of the disputed content from public access.

The studio also recently investigated how a Destiny 2-inspired NERF gun design closely mirrored 2015 fan artwork, reproducing even minute details like brush strokes and surface imperfections.