Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, is once again facing allegations of plagiarism after another artist claimed the studio copied elements of their creative work—this time for its new sci-fi shooter, Marathon.
Following similar claims from several artists and a writer that their creations were used without permission or acknowledgment, an additional artist has come forward stating their designs appear in Marathon's environments. In screenshots from the game's alpha playtest shared on social media, the artist known as Antireal pointed out distinct icons and graphics they originally designed, some of which were first posted online 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
— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025
In a statement posted to X/Twitter, the artist wrote: “Bungie certainly isn’t obligated to hire me when developing a game that heavily borrows from a design language I’ve spent the last decade refining. But clearly, my work was considered worthy enough to borrow ideas from and display throughout their game—without payment or attribution.”
They continued, “I don't have the financial means or emotional energy to take legal action. Still, I’ve lost track of how many times a large company has chosen to pay designers to mimic or take my work rather than simply email me. In ten years, I've never earned a steady income from my art, and it’s exhausting to see designers from major corporations mood-board and feed off my designs while I struggle just to get by.”
Bungie addressed the situation within hours. Though no public apology was issued, the studio confirmed it had launched an internal investigation, linking the “issue” to a former Bungie artist, and had contacted the affected creator.
In a statement, the team explained: “We acted quickly to investigate the concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon. Our investigation confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these assets in a texture sheet later used in the game. Our current art team was unaware of the issue, and we are still determining how this oversight happened.
“We treat such matters with the utmost seriousness and have already reached out to the artist to address the situation and ensure we make things right. It is our policy never to use an artist's work without their consent.
“To prevent recurrence, we are performing an in-depth review of in-game assets—especially those handled by the former artist—and strengthening our review process to better document all artist contributions. We deeply respect the creativity and hard work of every artist involved in our games, and we are committed to treating them fairly. We appreciate the community for bringing this to our attention.”
This is not Bungie’s first brush with copyright accusations. Last October, the studio was sued by a writer who alleged it lifted story elements from his work for Destiny 2’s 2017 campaign, The Red War. Bungie attempted to have the case dismissed, but a judge rejected the motion after the studio failed to produce sufficient evidence, especially since the content had since been “vaulted” and is no longer accessible to players.
Just weeks before that suit was filed, Bungie opened a separate investigation into how a NERF gun modeled after Destiny 2’s famous Ace of Spades hand cannon closely replicated fan art originally created in 2015—down to individual brush strokes, scratches, and smudges.
