Bungie’s multiplayer extraction shooter, Marathon, is facing allegations of plagiarism after an independent artist from Scotland claimed that her artwork was used without authorization. The studio, renowned for its previous titles like Destiny 2, acknowledged the claims on Friday, attributing the incident to a former employee who included uncredited artwork in the game’s alpha version. Bungie pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of its in-game assets and has reached out to the artist involved.
Plagiarism Accusations Surface
Fern Hook, known as @4nt1r34l (AntiReal) on X, raised concerns last week about potential copyright infringement related to her poster designs for Marathon, which recently held its closed alpha testing. Hook shared images comparing her artwork to screenshots from the game, highlighting striking resemblances.
“The Marathon alpha released recently, and its environments are filled with elements taken from poster designs I created in 2017,” Hook stated.
The artist elaborated that not only did Bungie allegedly misappropriate specific assets, but the game also draws heavily from her overall design language. Marathon has been recognized for its visually impressive futuristic sci-fi style that closely mirrors Hook’s artistic approach.
“While Bungie isn’t obligated to hire me when creating a game that draws extensively from the design language I have developed over the past decade, it’s evident that my work was deemed valuable enough to exploit without proper acknowledgment or compensation,” Hook commented in a thread on X.
Bungie Responds to the Controversy
In their statement on Friday, Bungie addressed the plagiarism allegations, clarifying that the current art team was unaware of the unauthorized use, which stemmed from a former staff member.
“We have swiftly investigated the concerns regarding the unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that these were included by a former Bungie artist on a texture sheet that made it into the game,” the studio explained.
“Our existing art team was not aware of this issue, and we are presently reviewing how this oversight occurred. This matter is taken very seriously. We have reached out to @4nt1r34l to discuss the situation and are committed to addressing the concerns of the artist.
“As a policy, we do not utilize artists’ work without their consent.
“To avert similar occurrences in the future, we are implementing a thorough review of our in-game assets, particularly those associated with the former Bungie artist, and enhancing our procedures to properly document all contributions from artists.
“We hold in high esteem the creativity and dedication of all artists who contribute to our games, and we are determined to rectify this situation. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Marathon has garnered attention for its distinctive art style
Photo Credit: Bungie
Concerns About Studio Morale
In light of the plagiarism allegations, Bungie halted all planned gameplay from its recent Marathon livestream. During the stream, art director Joe Cross indicated that a previous artist had borrowed various graphic elements from Hook’s designs without appropriate permission or recognition.
Cross affirmed that the studio would conduct an audit of all previous work on Marathon and remove any assets sourced inappropriately.
Following the unfolding plagiarism situation, reports suggest that morale within Bungie is plummeting. A Forbes report released on Friday characterized the studio as in “chaos,” with uncertainty surrounding its future if Marathon underperforms upon release. Early reactions to the shooter have been notably mixed.
“There is widespread concern regarding Bungie’s fate as a studio if Marathon fails, which is a scenario they absolutely cannot afford,” the report stated, citing both current and former employees.
Marathon is scheduled for release on September 23 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.
