Bungie blames “former artist” for latest plagiarism issue

Bungie is under scrutiny for allegedly using an artist’s artwork to develop assets for their upcoming shooter game, Marathon, without first obtaining permission. The artist, Antireal, has presented a compelling body of evidence to back up these claims. Bungie swiftly examined the accusations and acknowledged the “unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon.

In a less than diligent manner, Antireal discretely embedded a nod to loss meme comics within certain designs, which remained untouched in Marathon, as noticed by a beta tester. Another illustration demonstrates that someone utilized Antireal’s art and only put forth minimal effort to obliterate her name from the work.

Bungie stated that one of their former employees accidentally included certain designs in a texture file, and this mistake went unnoticed by the current art team. They are currently investigating how such an oversight happened. Additionally, they have contacted Antireal to address the issue.

Regarding our practices,” Bungie clarified, “we always make sure to obtain an artist’s consent before using their work.” The firm promised to conduct a thorough examination of all in-game items and strengthen their measures against unauthorized use.

As a passionate admirer of Bungie’s work, I can’t help but notice that the studio has found itself embroiled in art plagiarism issues more than once. In 2021, the trailer for Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen expansion unwittingly featured unauthorized artwork. Fast forward to June 2023, and someone’s artwork was spotted in a cutscene within Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion. The following year, in September 2024, a physical toy gun modeled on fan art was released by the company. This action sparked another artist to claim that their work had been utilized without permission in Destiny concept art as far back as 2012.

Each instance suggests a systemic problem within Bungie’s artistic team, which goes beyond attributing it to departed staff members.

It’s quite possible that the situation is even more incriminating because Marathon Art Director, Joseph Cross, has been keeping tabs on Antireal through her social media, implying a potential awareness of her work. Additionally, other Bungie employees also follow her.

Marathon is set to be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S later in 2025.

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2025-05-16 11:46