Bungie Initiates 'Thorough Review' Following Discovery of Uncredited Artist's Work in Marathon Development

Destiny 2 developer Bungie faces new allegations of plagiarism, this time concerning their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Artist Antireal has accused Bungie of incorporating elements from their 2017 poster designs into Marathon's environments without permission or credit. Screenshots from the game's alpha playtest, shared on social media, appear to show Antireal's distinct icons and graphics.

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

Antireal expressed frustration over the repeated unauthorized use of their work by major companies, 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." The artist highlighted the ongoing struggle to earn a living from their designs, which are often imitated or stolen by large corporations.

Bungie responded swiftly, announcing an investigation and attributing the issue to a former employee. The studio 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 company emphasized its commitment to rectifying the situation and preventing future occurrences, saying, "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 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 incident is part of a series of plagiarism accusations against Bungie. In October, the studio faced a lawsuit from a writer who claimed that plot elements from his story were used in Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. Bungie attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied the request as the studio struggled to provide evidence, having "vaulted" the content so it is no longer publicly playable.

Just weeks before the lawsuit, Bungie investigated the unauthorized use of a fanart design from 2015 for a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades, which replicated every detail of the original artwork.