Bungie Accused of Stealing Art Design, Yet Again

Bungie, the company that made Destiny and the upcoming reboot of Marathon, is once again facing criticism for allegedly stealing art. This time, it's from well-known independent artist Antireal, who says that the game's style heavily copies her 2017 poster designs without giving her credit or permission.

Antireal started the argument by writing in a thread on X (formerly Twitter) that Marathon's alpha build is "covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017." She used comparison pictures to show that the designs were almost exact copies.

"Bungie is not required to hire me when they are making a game that is mostly based on the design language I have been working on for ten years," she wrote. "But it's clear that they liked my work enough to steal ideas and use them all over their game without giving me credit or pay."

She also said it was frustrating that big companies have been allegedly copying her work for ten years. She said she has never made a steady income from her designs and is tired of being taken advantage of all the time.

As the anger grew, Marathon's game director, Joe Ziegler, and franchise art director, Joseph Cross, discussed it during a Twitch livestream that was supposed to be about alpha feedback. In a prepared statement, they confirmed that the stolen assets would be removed from the game and that the whole library of art assets would be checked to ensure they were not used in any other way that wasn't authorized.

Cross also said that Bungie has talked to Antireal and is trying to "make things right". But there is still doubt. At first, Bungie's official statement said the issue was caused by "one artist who is no longer with the company." However, people on social media quickly pointed out that most of Bungie's art team follows Antireal's accounts.

This called the "lone wolf" defense into question and suggested that the studio's creative process has deeper problems. Critics say this isn't the only time this has happened with Bungie. The company has been accused of using designs from other sources without giving credit. Some fans and people who work in the entertainment industry are calling for a boycott of Marathon because they no longer trust the studio's morals.

One post said, "This isn't just a one-time mistake." "It's a pattern, and Bungie needs to be held accountable". With more and more negative comments online and in public, Bungie and its parent company, Sony, are now dealing with yet another controversy. This time, it's hurting trust from both the independent art community and the studio's core fans.

Bungie has yet to give a fuller explanation, just the initial statement. It's still not clear if this latest scandal will have a big effect on Marathon's growth or how people feel about it.