Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, finds itself embroiled in yet another plagiarism controversy. This time, the accusations involve their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. An artist named Antireal has come forward, claiming that Bungie used their artwork without permission or credit in the game's environments. Antireal shared screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest on X/Twitter, highlighting distinct icons and graphics that they originally designed and shared on social media 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, Antireal expressed frustration over the repeated use of their designs by major companies without compensation or acknowledgment. They highlighted the struggle of making a living as an artist while their work is "pillaged" for commercial use.
Bungie responded promptly, launching an investigation into the matter. The studio attributed the issue to a former Bungie artist who included unauthorized decals in a texture sheet used in the game. While Bungie did not issue a public apology, they stated that the current art team was unaware of the issue and is reviewing how it occurred.
"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 team said in a statement. "This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred.Bungie emphasized their commitment to resolving the issue and doing right by the affected artist. They also announced plans to conduct a thorough review of in-game assets and implement stricter checks to document all artist contributions, aiming to prevent similar issues in the future.
This incident adds to a growing list of plagiarism accusations against Bungie. Earlier, in October, the studio faced a lawsuit from a writer who claimed that Bungie used plot elements from his story in Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. Bungie's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit was denied by a judge, as the studio struggled to provide evidence after "vaulting" the content. Additionally, just weeks before that lawsuit, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was nearly a direct copy of fanart designed in 2015, down to the smallest details.
