An artist accuses Bungie of using her designs in Marathon without permission, stating she's tired of large companies exploiting her work

Bungie is accused of using independent artist Antireal's designs for their game without permission or compensation.

: Bungie, a game development company, is being accused by visual artist Antireal of using her 2017 design elements in its game Marathon without permission or payment. Antireal highlighted these similarities through a series of posts on X, directly contrasting her original designs with the in-game assets. She expressed frustration at major companies exploiting her designs, yet financial constraints prevent her from taking legal action. This is not Bungie's first controversy; they have previously faced similar accusations and admitted the unauthorized use of artists' work.

Independent visual artist Antireal has accused Bungie of using her original designs without permission in their upcoming game, Marathon. She claims that assets from her 2017 poster designs appear throughout the game's environments and promotional materials, including her distinctive logos and graphic motifs.

In a statement, Antireal expressed her frustration: "I am tired of designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living." She highlighted that while Bungie isn't obligated to hire her, they found her work "good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution."

This isn't the first time Bungie has faced such allegations. Previously, the company admitted to using fan art without permission in other projects, such as a Destiny 2 cutscene and a Nerf blaster design, and promised to compensate the artists involved.

As of now, Bungie has not publicly responded to Antireal's claims regarding Marathon. The situation raises ongoing concerns about the use of independent artists' work by major game developers without proper credit or compensation.

Sources: PC Gamer, Vice, Kotaku, The Verge

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