Summary
Bungie’s been catching heat over plagiarism claims tied to its upcoming gameMarathon, but that didn’t stop the studio from rolling out its planned PlayMA stream where it brought the issue up head on. It’s not the first timeBungiehas had to address accusations like this after dealing with a similar lawsuit back in 2024 overDestiny 2.
The latest trouble started when independent artist Antireal spoke out, sayingBungie’sMarathonused her artwork without permission. She shared side-by-side images on social media, showing in-game graffiti assets nearly matching her 2017 portfolio pieces, used in the game’s alpha playtest. The officialMarathondev team responded, admitting a former Bungie artist added the art to a texture sheet that got into the game.
Upcoming first-person shooterMarathon’s Art Director, Joe Cross, further addressed the issue during a recent stream. He confirmed that during early pre-production, a former artist used graphic elements from an independent designer without permission. Those assets - icons and bits of text - were added to a decal sheet back in 2020, and eventually made their way into the alpha build. Cross said there’s no excuse for the oversight, and Bungie is committed to improving its review process to ensure this doesn’t happen again. The team has already reached out to Antireal to try and make things right, and they’re currently auditing all the work from the former artist, which has caused a delay in sharing some of the game’s upcoming content.
Bungie Promises To Remove Disputed Art, Honors Creators
Cross also noted that any improperly sourced material will be removed or replaced with new work made in-house. He pointed out that whileMarathon’s look pulls from a wide mix of influences- Swiss typography, cyberpunk visuals, and the originalMarathontrilogy - the external studios involved in the branding side of things weren’t part of the issue. He closed the update with a personal apology to Antireal, saying Bungie has deep respect for independent artists and is trying to handle the situation with transparency and care.
The story’s still unfolding, but Antireal, who goes by Fern, spoke about it in an interview withThe Washington Post. She said seeing clear evidence of plagiarism felt oddly validating, confirming the unease she’d had for a while about the game’s visual direction. She’d initially stayed quiet after being advised to consider legal action, but ultimately chose not to pursue it, saying the time, cost, and pressure of going up against a company like Sony would’ve made it nearly impossible to fight. GivenBungie’s history, it definitely needs to be more careful in the future.
