Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, faces fresh allegations of plagiarism, this time linked to their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Artist Antireal has come forward, claiming that Bungie utilized elements of their artwork without permission or credit in the environments of Marathon. Screenshots from the game's alpha playtest, shared on social media, allegedly show distinct icons and graphics that Antireal designed and shared 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 a statement on X/Twitter, Antireal expressed frustration over the repeated instances of major companies using their designs without compensation or acknowledgment. "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 wrote. Antireal highlighted the struggle of making a consistent living from their art while larger companies benefit from their work.
Bungie responded swiftly, though without a public apology, stating they had launched an investigation. They attributed the unauthorized use of the artist's decals to a former Bungie artist and confirmed they had reached out to the artist in question.
"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 stated. "This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred.
"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 similar issues in the future, we are conducting a thorough review of our in-game assets, specifically those done by the former Bungie artist, and implementing stricter checks to document all artist contributions. 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 adds to a series of accusations against Bungie. Previously, 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. Bungie attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied their request, especially after Bungie "vaulted" the content, making it no longer publicly playable.
Additionally, just before the lawsuit was filed, Bungie investigated the unauthorized use of fanart in the design of a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades, which replicated the fanart down to every detail.
