Destiny 2 developer Bungie faces renewed plagiarism allegations after another artist claimed the studio reproduced elements of their original artwork, this time for the upcoming sci-fi shooter Marathon.
Following claims from several artists and a writer that Bungie used their creative work without permission or credit, yet another artist has come forward, stating their designs appear in Marathon's environmental assets. Artist Antireal identified distinct icons and graphics they originally designed in screenshots from the game's alpha playtest, noting some were first shared on social media as early as 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
"Bungie certainly has no obligation to hire me when developing a game that draws heavily from the visual style I've cultivated over the past ten years, but clearly my work was deemed worthy enough to appropriate ideas from and display throughout their game without compensation or credit," the artist stated in a post on X/Twitter.
"I lack the resources or energy to pursue legal avenues, but I've lost track of how often large companies find it easier to have designers mimic or take my work rather than contact me directly. In ten years, I've never earned steady income from my art, and it's exhausting to see designers at major corporations use my designs as inspiration or directly copy them, while I continue to struggle financially."
Bungie responded within hours. Without issuing a public apology, the studio announced it had opened an investigation, attributing the "incident" to a former Bungie artist, and contacted the affected creator.
"We immediately investigated concerns about unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed a former Bungie artist included these assets in a texture sheet later integrated into the game," the studio said in a statement. "Our current art team was unaware of the situation, and we are reviewing the circumstances that led to this oversight.
"We treat such matters with the utmost seriousness. We've reached out to [the artist] to address this issue and are dedicated to making things right. Our policy strictly prohibits using artists' work without their consent.
"To prevent future occurrences, we are conducting a comprehensive review of in-game assets, especially those created by the former Bungie artist, and implementing stricter documentation processes for all artist contributions. We deeply respect the creativity and commitment of every artist involved in our projects, and we are determined to uphold their rights. Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
This isn't the first time Bungie has faced accusations of intellectual property misuse. Last October, the studio was sued by a writer who alleged the company copied narrative points from his story for Destiny 2's 2017 campaign, The Red War. Bungie attempted to have the case dismissed, but a judge rejected the motion after the studio failed to produce sufficient evidence, especially since the relevant content had since been "vaulted" and was no longer accessible.
Just weeks before that lawsuit was filed, Bungie began another investigation into how a NERF gun modeled after Destiny 2's iconic Ace of Spades hand cannon was reproduced almost exactly from a piece of fan art originally created in 2015, down to every brushstroke, scratch, and smudge visible on the weapon.
