Bungie Initiates Comprehensive Review Following Uncredited Artwork Incident

Once again, Destiny 2 developer Bungie finds itself at the center of a plagiarism controversy. This time, the allegations involve claims that elements of an artist’s work were used without permission or credit in the development of the studio’s upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon.

Following a string of similar accusations from both artists and a writer, another creative professional has stepped forward, asserting that their designs appear in Marathon's environment assets. Artist Antireal shared screenshots from the game’s alpha playtest, pointing to specific icons and graphics they claim originated from poster designs posted on social media as far back 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"

In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Antireal expressed frustration—not just about the unauthorized use of their work, but also about the broader industry pattern where major studios allegedly take inspiration from independent artists 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."

"I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally, but I’ve lost count of how many times a major company has decided it’s easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email. In ten years, I've never had a consistent income from this work—and I'm tired of seeing designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitizing my designs while I struggle to make a living."

Within hours of the post, Bungie responded. While the studio did not issue a public apology, it confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched and attributed the issue to a former employee.

"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," said Bungie in a statement. "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 doing 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 created 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 is not isolated. Back in October, Bungie faced a lawsuit from a writer alleging that plot elements from his story were used in Destiny 2’s 2017 expansion, *The Red War*. Although Bungie attempted to have the case dismissed, the court denied the motion, forcing the studio to scramble for evidence after having "vaulted" the content from public access.

Just weeks prior to that legal challenge, Bungie launched a separate investigation after fans pointed out that a NERF gun modeled after Destiny 2’s iconic *Ace of Spades* appeared to be nearly identical to fanart originally created in 2015—including every brush stroke, scratch, and smudge.

As scrutiny continues to mount around intellectual property practices in the gaming industry, this latest incident raises further questions about how large studios source and credit creative assets. For now, Bungie remains under the microscope, with players, creators, and legal entities watching closely to see how the studio addresses ongoing concerns moving forward.