Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, faces fresh allegations of plagiarism, this time linked to their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon. Following a series of claims by artists and a writer who accused Bungie of unauthorized use of their work, artist Antireal has come forward with accusations that their designs were used in Marathon's environments. Screenshots from Marathon's alpha playtest, shared on X/Twitter, show icons and graphics that Antireal claims were originally posted on social media back in 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 on X/Twitter, Antireal expressed frustration, noting, "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 financial struggles faced due to repeated instances of their work being imitated or stolen by major companies, saying, "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."
Bungie responded swiftly, though without a public apology, stating they had initiated an investigation. They attributed the issue to a former Bungie artist and had reached out to Antireal to address the concern.
"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," the team stated. "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 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 not isolated for Bungie. In October, the studio was sued by a writer who alleged 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 their request as the studio struggled to provide evidence, especially since the content in question had been "vaulted" and was no longer accessible to the public.
Just weeks before the lawsuit was filed, Bungie also investigated how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's Ace of Spades was nearly identical to fanart from 2015, down to the smallest details like brush strokes and smudges.
