Bungie Initiates 'Thorough Review' Following Uncredited Artist Controversy

Destiny 2 developer Bungie is once again facing allegations of plagiarism, as another artist has come forward accusing the studio of using their creative work without permission—this time tied to Bungie’s upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon.

Following previous claims from multiple artists and a writer who alleged unauthorized use of their work, digital artist Antireal (N²) has stepped forward asserting that visual elements from their 2017 social media posts appear in Marathon’s environment design. In a tweet accompanied by screenshots from the game’s alpha test, the artist pointed out distinct icons and graphics that closely resemble their original poster designs.

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 their statement on X/Twitter, Antireal expressed frustration over the recurring issue of large studios appropriating independent artists’ work without compensation or credit.

"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," they wrote.

"I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally, but I have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email. 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, confirming an internal investigation had been launched. The studio attributed the issue to a former artist and stated the current art team was unaware of the unauthorized assets.

"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," Bungie said in an official statement. "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 doing 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 is not the first time Bungie has faced such accusations. In October, the studio became the subject of a lawsuit filed by a writer who claimed Bungie used key plot elements from his story in Destiny 2’s 2017 campaign, The Red War. Bungie attempted to dismiss the case, but [ttpp] a judge denied the request as Bungie scrambled to provide evidence, having since "vaulted" the content so it is no longer publicly playable.

Just weeks prior to that legal action, Bungie initiated an internal review after a NERF gun modeled after Destiny 2’s fan-favorite Ace of Spades weapon was found to be nearly identical to fanart created in 2015—down to individual brush strokes, scratches, and smudges.