Bungie Launches In-Depth Asset Review After Uncredited Artwork Claims in Marathon

Destiny 2 developer Bungie faces renewed plagiarism allegations after an artist accused the studio of using their artwork without credit in its upcoming sci-fi shooter, Marathon.

Following claims from multiple artists and a writer about unauthorized use of their work, another artist has reported that their designs appear in Marathon’s environments. In screenshots from Marathon’s alpha playtest shared on X, artist Antireal pointed out recognizable icons and graphics they created, some originally posted on social media 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

“Bungie isn’t required to hire me for a game that heavily mirrors my design style, honed over a decade, but it’s clear my work was used without compensation or credit,” Antireal stated on X.

“I lack the resources to pursue this legally, but I’m exhausted by how often major companies find it easier to copy my work than contact me. In ten years, I’ve never earned a steady income from my designs, while large studios profit from my ideas as I struggle to survive,” they added.

Bungie responded promptly, stating it had initiated an investigation, attributing the issue to a former artist, and contacted the affected artist.

“We quickly investigated reports of unauthorized artist decals in Marathon and confirmed a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet used in-game,” Bungie stated. “Our current art team was unaware of this issue, and we are reviewing how this oversight happened.

“We take these matters seriously and have reached out to [the artist] to address this. Our policy is clear: we do not use artists’ work without permission.

“To prevent future issues, we’re conducting a comprehensive review of in-game assets, particularly those by the former artist, and introducing stricter checks to track all contributions. We deeply value the creativity of artists who contribute to our games and are committed to supporting them. Thank you for raising this concern.”

This isn’t Bungie’s first brush with such allegations. In October, a writer filed a lawsuit claiming Bungie used elements of his story in Destiny 2’s 2017 storyline, The Red War. Bungie’s attempt to dismiss the case was denied by a judge as the studio struggled to provide evidence after archiving the content, making it inaccessible.

Weeks earlier, Bungie investigated how a NERF gun modeled on Destiny 2’s Ace of Spades replicated fanart from 2015, down to every detail, including scratches and smudges.