Bungie Reviews Uncredited Art Found in Marathon

Destiny 2 developer Bungie faces renewed plagiarism allegations as another artist claims the studio incorporated unauthorized elements of their work into the upcoming sci-fi shooter Marathon.

Following previous accusations from multiple artists and a writer, new claims suggest Marathon's environments contain recognizable assets originally created by artist Antireal, including icons and graphics first shared publicly in 2017.

the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross

— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025

The artist expressed frustration in a public statement: "While Bungie wasn't obligated to hire me for their project drawing from similar design languages, they've clearly appropriated my decade-refined work without compensation or credit. I lack resources for legal action, yet this marks another instance where corporations find it easier to replicate my designs than collaborate."

Bungie responded promptly, initiating an internal investigation that traced the unauthorized assets to a former employee's texture sheet. While stopping short of a public apology, the studio acknowledged the oversight:

"We've confirmed unauthorized asset inclusion by a former artist and are reviewing our approval processes. We've contacted the affected creator and are implementing stricter documentation protocols moving forward," read Bungie's statement.

This incident follows previous controversies including:

• A pending lawsuit alleging Destiny 2's 2017 Red War campaign appropriated story elements
• The recent discovery that a licensed NERF gun replica matched 2015 fanart down to minute detailing

Bungie maintains its commitment to original content creation while working to strengthen its attribution practices.