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

Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, is once again facing allegations of plagiarism, this time concerning their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Multiple artists and a writer have previously accused the studio of unauthorized use of their work, and now another artist, Antireal, has come forward claiming that elements of their artwork from 2017 have been incorporated into Marathon's environments.

In a tweet, Antireal shared screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest, pointing out specific icons and graphics they allege were directly lifted from their designs. The artist expressed frustration over the lack of compensation or credit, 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 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 further lamented the financial struggles they face as an artist, noting that they lack the resources to pursue legal action against major companies that repeatedly appropriate their designs. "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," they stated.

Bungie responded swiftly to the accusations, launching an internal investigation and attributing the issue to a former employee. In a 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."

While not issuing a public apology, Bungie 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," the statement continued.

To address the issue, Bungie is reviewing all in-game assets created by the former artist and implementing stricter checks to document 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," they concluded.

This incident is not isolated. In October, Bungie faced a lawsuit from a writer who claimed the studio stole plot elements from his story for Destiny 2's 2017 storyline, The Red War. The studio attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge denied the request as Bungie struggled to provide evidence, having "vaulted" the content, making it no longer publicly playable.

Additionally, just weeks before the lawsuit was filed, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was almost entirely replicated from fanart designed in 2015, including every detail down to brush strokes and smudges.