Bungie Initiates 'Thorough Review' After Uncredited Artist Issue

Destiny 2 developer Bungie finds itself embroiled in yet another plagiarism controversy, this time linked to its upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. The latest accusation comes from artist Antireal, who claims that Bungie used their artwork without permission or credit in the game's environments.

Antireal shared screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest on social media, alleging that the game features distinct icons and graphics they had originally posted in 2017. The artist expressed frustration over the repeated instances of major companies exploiting their designs without compensation, stating, "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."

Despite not having the resources to pursue legal action, Antireal lamented the ongoing struggle to earn a living from their work, saying, "I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally but I have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email. 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 promptly, launching an investigation and attributing the issue to a former employee. In their statement, the company said, "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."

Bungie emphasized their commitment to resolving the issue and ensuring proper artist recognition, stating, "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 plans to thoroughly review their in-game assets and implement stricter documentation processes. They concluded, "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 is not the first time Bungie has faced such allegations. In October, the studio was sued by a writer who claimed that plot elements from his story were used in Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. Bungie's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit was denied by a judge, especially challenging after the content in question was "vaulted" and no longer accessible to the public.

Just weeks before that lawsuit, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades replicated fanart from 2015 down to the finest details, including every brush stroke, scratch, and smudge.