Importance Score: 74 / 100 🔴
The visual presentation of Bungie’s new sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon, has garnered attention. Its combination of stark environments and vibrant aesthetics evokes the vibe of a sneaker advertisement blended with Ghost in the Shell. Designer Jeremy Skoog described it as “Y2K Cyberpunk mixed with Acid Graphic Design Posters.” However, allegations have emerged that some visual design elements featured in the recent alpha test may have been derived from artwork created eight years ago by an independent artist. This has sparked a debate regarding originality and proper attribution in game development, particularly concerning asset creation for the new Marathon game.
Allegations of Plagiarism Against Marathon’s Visual Assets
“The Marathon alpha recently launched, and its environments are populated with assets taken from poster designs I created in 2017,” Bluesky user antire.al posted on Thursday. The user shared images highlighting similarities between elements from their original works and their appearance within Marathon’s gameplay, including what appears to be a rotated version of their personal logo. A poster containing numerous repeating icon patterns also appears to have been closely replicated in Marathon’s press kit ARG and on its website.
The artist expressed frustration, stating, “While Bungie isn’t obligated to hire me for creating a game that heavily relies on the design language I’ve been developing for a decade, my work was clearly deemed valuable enough to pilfer for ideas and prominently showcase throughout their game without any form of payment or acknowledgement. I lack the necessary resources and energy to pursue legal action. I’ve lost count of the times a major company has found it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to simply send me an email.”
Possible Explanations for the Asset Use
Questions arise on how such a scenario could occur. One possibility is the use of placeholder art intended for later replacement or significant alteration, but it was inadvertently left in the final build. Alternatively, a less charitable explanation suggests that individuals at Bungie, or external agencies contracted by them, may have knowingly taken shortcuts, either directly lifting the artwork or utilizing it as inspiration, without providing due compensation or attribution. Bungie did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the alleged asset theft.
Previous Instances of Similar Issues
This is not the first occasion where the studio, now owned by PlayStation, has faced scrutiny over similar concerns.
- In 2023, Destiny 2 fan art surfaced within a pivotal cutscene of the expansive sci-fi MMO.
- In 2024, accusations of plagiarism arose when old fan art was used in an Ace of Space Exotic ornament and a NERF gun replica.
In both prior incidents, Bungie reached settlements with the affected artists and issued apologies. Conversely, Bungie has also been on the receiving end of such allegations. Last year, the game The First Descendant allegedly appropriated ability and perk icons directly from Destiny 2, before their subsequent removal.
Impact on Marathon’s Reception
The Marathon alpha concluded earlier this month, leaving fans with differing opinions on its implementation of the extraction shooter model, while being thoroughly impressed by the gameplay. However, The world-building and sci-fi environments developed for the new Marathon remain widely praised as some of Bungie’s most captivating work in recent years. However, these copyright infringements slightly taint the overall aesthetic appeal.
“In 10 years, I have never earned a reliable income from this work, and I am weary of designers at large corporations moodboarding and leeching off my designs while I struggle financially,” antire.al stated.
Bungie’s Response to the Allegations
Update 5/16/2025
Bungie has issued a response, attributing the incident to a former employee. The studio has stated that they are contacting the relevant artist and are undertaking a comprehensive review of in-game assets for Marathon.
“We immediately investigated a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game,” the studio posted on X.
It continued:
This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred. We take matters like this very seriously. We have reached out to antire.al to discuss this issue and are committed to doing right by the artist. As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission.
To prevent similar issues in the future, we are conducting a thorough review of our in-game assets, specifically those done by the former Bungie artist, and implementing stricter checks to document all artist contributions. We value the creativity and dedication of all artists who contribute to our games, and we are committed to doing right by them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.