Bungie Reviews Uncredited Art Usage

Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2, faces renewed plagiarism allegations as another artist claims their artwork was appropriated for the upcoming sci-fi shooter Marathon.

Following similar accusations from multiple artists and a writer, a new complaint alleges unauthorized use of creative work in Marathon's environments. Artist Antireal shared screenshots from the game's alpha test, pointing out icons and graphics they originally designed—some first posted on social media in 2017.

The Marathon alpha recently dropped, and its environments are filled with assets copied from poster designs I created in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross pic.twitter.com/0Csbo48Jgb

— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025

"While Bungie wasn't required to hire me for a game inspired by my decade-long design aesthetic, they clearly found my work worthy enough to replicate without compensation or credit," the artist stated on X/Twitter.

"I lack the time or funds for legal action, but corporate plagiarism keeps happening. For ten years, I've struggled financially while major companies freely mimic my designs," they added.

Bungie responded promptly but without apology, initiating an investigation while shifting blame to a former employee. The studio contacted the affected artist privately.

"We've verified that unauthorized decals from a former artist's texture sheet were mistakenly implemented," Bungie said in a statement. "Our current art team was unaware, and we're examining how this oversight occurred."

"We're reaching out to remedy this appropriately. Our policy strictly prohibits unauthorized usage of artists' work."

"To prevent recurrences, we're auditing assets—particularly those by the former artist—and strengthening contribution documentation. We respect all creative partners."

This marks Bungie's latest copyright controversy. Last October, a writer sued over alleged theft of Destiny 2: The Red War's 2017 plot elements. The case persists as Bungie failed to dismiss it, having removed the disputed content from public access.

Earlier, Bungie investigated near-identical replication of 2015 fanart in a Destiny 2-themed NERF gun design, down to minute detailing.