Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, is facing renewed allegations of plagiarism, this time in relation to their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Following a series of claims from various artists and a writer who accused the studio of using their work without permission or credit, another artist has come forward asserting that elements of their artwork were used in Marathon's environments. Artist Antireal shared screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest on social media, highlighting distinct icons and graphics that they claim were originally posted online back in 2017.
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 their statement on X/Twitter, Antireal expressed frustration, noting that while Bungie was not obligated to hire them, their designs were evidently valuable enough to be used without compensation or acknowledgment. They lamented the frequent instances of major companies exploiting their work instead of collaborating, stating, "In 10 years, I have never made a consistent income from this work and I am tired of designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living."
Bungie responded swiftly, launching an investigation and attributing the issue to a former employee. While not issuing a public apology, the company stated in a statement, "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 studio emphasized their commitment to rectifying the situation, saying, "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 occurrences, Bungie announced a thorough review of in-game assets, particularly those contributed by the former artist, and plans to implement stricter documentation protocols. They concluded, "We value the creativity and dedication of all artists who contribute to our games, and we are committed to doing right by them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
This incident is part of a broader 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 efforts to have the lawsuit dismissed, a judge denied the request as the studio struggled to provide evidence, especially after "vaulting" the content, making it inaccessible to the public.
Additionally, just before the lawsuit was filed, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun modeled after Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was nearly identical to fanart from 2015, including every detail down to the brush strokes and smudges.
