Bungie Responds to Marathon Art Theft Accusation

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In response to accusations that they’d unknowingly used a fan’s art in their upcoming shooter game, Marathon, Bungie has acknowledged the issue and promised action. Artist N2 claimed that certain designs in the Marathon alpha looked familiar because they were similar to ones he created years ago. Within just a few hours, Bungie responded, expressing ignorance about the source of the art in question and pledging to address the matter fairly with the artist. They also plan to investigate how this oversight occurred, aiming to prevent such incidents in the future. However, some fans remain unconvinced by Bungie’s statements due to past similar issues they’ve encountered.

Yesterday, N2 alleged that Bungie didn’t ask for permission to utilize artwork allegedly copied from them. To add fuel to the fire, it seems that some artists involved in Marathon followed N2 on social media, suggesting they would have been privy to N2’s designs or the artist’s overall work. Previously, Bungie has faced criticism for using an artist’s work without giving credit, so this isn’t an unheard-of issue for them. Although Bungie has attempted to mitigate the situation with a response, it might be too late as the damage may have already been inflicted.

Straight away, we looked into allegations about the illicit application of artist decals in Marathon, and found out that a previous artist from Bungie had indeed incorporated these designs in a texture collection which eventually ended up being utilized within the game.

— MarathonDevTeam (@MarathonDevTeam) May 16, 2025

It appears that Bungie may be taking steps towards doing what’s right, though whether they will give credit to the artist, remove the copied work, or compensate the artist is yet to be determined. Their swift response is encouraging, but some are skeptical about accepting their statements at face value. The history of Marathon‘s development has had its share of highs and lows, including the dismissal of its director.

In the Marathon alpha, a multitude of players leaped into the extraction shooter. Numerous streamers have voiced their opinions since the Non-Disclosure Agreement was lifted, with DrLupo among them. The game is slated for release later this year, but concerns persist about its high price and short timeframe between the alpha and launch, which might affect its staying power.

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2025-05-16 19:40