Bungie is in the middle of numerous controversies. Despite the gaming company’s public stances against crunch and toxic studio cultures, the developer has tolerated both in recent years. In addition, plagiarism has been a significant issue that the company has been facing lately. After a lawsuit was filed against Bungie alleging the developer used copyrighted ideas in Destiny 2, another artist came forward claiming the gaming company used her artwork for Marathon Alpha. The artist by the social media handle of 4nt1r34l on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that the Marathon closed alpha test’s environments featured multiple examples of assets from posters she designed in 2017. While she highlights that she does not have the “I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally but I have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email,” as she explained in a series of tweets.

Bungie Accused of Art Theft for ‘Marathon’ Alpha

One of the most striking things about Bungie’s Marathon is its presentation. The upcoming extraction shooter has been in the spotlight recently, thanks to its closed alpha launch and its visually striking art direction. While the art has earned plenty of attention, the company is now dealing with a plagiarism accusation. X user 4nt1r34l posted a detailed thread calling out Bungie and Marathon’s art director, Joseph Cross. The artist alleged that the recent Marathon closed alpha is filled with graphics lifted directly from poster artwork she created back in 2017. Bungie Layoffs: Sony Interactive Entertainment-Owned Video Game Developer Going Through Major Changes After Its Second Round of Job Cuts. 

She provided side-by-side images comparing elements from her posters to visuals seen throughout the alpha and the similarities that one cannot ignore. “The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017,” she begins the thread on X. “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,” she continued. Who Is Kian Brose? Why Is He Suing Minecraft? Know YouTuber's Lawsuit and GoFundMe Campaign As He Takes Legal Action Against Video Game Developer and Mojang AB. 

Artist Accuses Bungie of Plagiarism

She Details It in Series of Tweets

This Is Serious

The Struggle Is Real

Following the allegations, as they garnered attention among gamers, the PlayStation-owned studio responded to the plagiarism claims. “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.

Bungie's Response

Marathon’s alpha wrapped up earlier this month, leaving fans impressed with the moment-to-moment feel. However, Bungie’s spotty history with plagiarism accusations often leaves the company on the edge.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2025 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).