Bungie has been caught red-handed incorporating artwork from the Antireal artist collective into its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon without permission or credit. The unauthorized use was extensive, with multiple pieces of Antireal’s distinctive sci-fi artwork appearing as in-game posters, textures, and UI elements throughout the game.
The situation came to light when an Antireal artist discovered their work while viewing Marathon promotional materials. The evidence is damning – side-by-side comparisons show entire posters and design elements lifted directly from Antireal’s portfolio, with some still containing the original “Antireal daily series” text and artist signatures.
bungie is of course not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language i have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution. pic.twitter.com/G3FbPtbPJD
— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025
In some particularly egregious examples, someone attempted to remove identifying marks from the artwork but did so hastily, with the Antireal name still partially visible beneath scratched-out sections. This suggests deliberate copying rather than accidental inclusion.
Bungie has acknowledged the unauthorized use, attributing it to a former employee who included these assets in the game without proper clearance. “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,” stated the Marathon development team.
The company claims its current art team was unaware of the unauthorized assets and has begun an internal review of all materials handled by the former employee. They’ve also contacted Antireal to discuss compensation and pledged to implement stricter asset documentation and review protocols.
This isn’t Bungie’s first time being accused of art theft. The studio has faced at least four previous incidents involving unlicensed or fan-made art in Destiny 2 content and merchandise. In September 2021, they used unlicensed fan art in a Witch Queen trailer, followed by another incident in June 2023 when fan art appeared in a Lightfall cutscene. Most recently, in September 2024, Bungie was caught using an artist’s design for a physical Destiny 2 Nerf Blaster.
What makes this case especially concerning is how central the copied artwork appears to be to Marathon‘s visual identity. The Antireal collective’s distinctive style is extremely close to what has been promoted as Marathon‘s unique aesthetic, which brings up questions about just how much of the game’s look might have come from somewhere else.
I just realized Bungie took inspiration from my piece for this week's cutscene. Certainly took me by surprise when I watched the cutscene.#destiny2 #DestinyTheGame #Lightfall pic.twitter.com/aSpZ4SzFL0
— Julian Faylona (ELEMENTJ21) (@ELEMENTJ21) June 20, 2023
Not just a few textures
The extent of the copying shows this goes beyond a minor oversight. Multiple assets across different aspects of Marathon—from environment textures to UI elements—appear to be lifted from Antireal’s work. Industry experts point out that proper asset management and verification are standard practices specifically meant to avoid this kind of copyright mess.
For Bungie, the controversy is hitting at a pretty sensitive moment. The studio was acquired by Sony for over $3 billion in 2022, and Marathon is one of its first big releases under the new ownership. The game’s distinctive visual style has been a major selling point in its marketing—a selling point now tainted by these plagiarism allegations.
