Bungie Initiates Full Review After Using Uncredited Artist's Work Again

Destiny 2 developer Bungie is facing yet another accusation of plagiarism, this time related to their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Artist Antireal has come forward, claiming that Bungie used elements of their artwork without permission or credit in the game's environments. Antireal shared screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest on X/Twitter, highlighting icons and graphics that closely resemble designs they originally posted 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 a statement, Antireal expressed frustration over the repeated instances of major companies using their work 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 also highlighted the struggle of earning a consistent income from their work while larger companies benefit from it.

Bungie responded swiftly, launching an investigation and attributing the issue to a former artist. They stated, "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 and preventing future occurrences. "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," they added. Bungie also announced plans to conduct a thorough review of in-game assets and implement stricter checks to document artist contributions.

This incident is part of a 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. Bungie attempted to dismiss the lawsuit but was denied by a judge as they struggled to provide evidence, especially since the content in question had been "vaulted" and was no longer publicly accessible.

Just weeks before that lawsuit, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was nearly identical to fanart from 2015, down to the smallest details. These repeated allegations highlight ongoing concerns about intellectual property and creative rights within the gaming industry.