Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, is facing renewed plagiarism allegations after another artist claimed the studio appropriated elements of their work, this time for the upcoming sci-fi shooter Marathon.

Following claims from several artists and a writer that Bungie used their creations without permission or credit, a new artist alleges their designs appear in Marathon's environments. Sharing screenshots from the game's recent alpha test, artist Antireal pointed out distinct icons and graphics they originally shared on social media back in 2017.

the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross pic.twitter.com/0Csbo48Jgb

— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025

"Bungie is under no obligation to hire me for a game that heavily utilizes a design language I've been refining for a decade, but apparently my work was good enough to plunder for ideas and plaster across their game without payment or attribution," the artist stated in a post on X/Twitter.

"I lack the resources and energy for legal action, but I've lost count of how many major companies find it easier to pay someone to imitate or steal my work than to simply email me. In ten years, I've never earned a steady income from this, and I'm exhausted watching designers from huge companies mood-board and parasitize my designs while I struggle to make ends meet."

Bungie responded within hours. While no public apology was issued, the studio stated it had launched an investigation, linked the "issue" to a former Bungie artist, and contacted the affected creator.

"We promptly investigated concerns about unauthorized artist decals in Marathon and confirmed a former Bungie artist included them in a texture sheet used in the final game," the team said in a statement. "Our current art team was unaware of this issue, and we are reviewing how this oversight happened.

"We treat such matters with utmost seriousness. We have contacted [the artist] to resolve this and are committed to making things right. Our policy strictly prohibits using an artist's work without permission.

"To prevent recurrence, we are conducting a comprehensive review of in-game assets, particularly those by the former artist, and implementing stricter documentation for all artist contributions. We value the creativity and dedication of every artist involved in our games and are dedicated to supporting them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention."

This isn't Bungie's first plagiarism controversy. Last October, the studio was sued by a writer who alleged it stole plot elements from his story for Destiny 2's 2017 Red War campaign. Bungie recently sought to dismiss the case, but a judge denied the request as the company struggled to provide evidence, having since "vaulted" the content so it's no longer playable.

Just weeks before that lawsuit, Bungie initiated a separate investigation into how a NERF gun based on Destiny 2's iconic Ace of Spades was reproduced almost entirely from fan art created in 2015, copying every brush stroke, scratch, and smudge on the weapon.