Bungie Acknowledges Use of Unlicensed Art Assets from Artist in Marathon [Updated]
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Latest Update (16/05/2025): Joe Ziegler, the game director for Marathon, alongside Joseph Cross, the franchise’s art director, recently participated in a Twitch livestream. Originally intended as a platform for Bungie to share insights on feedback from the game’s alpha version, the discussion shifted focus to address serious concerns regarding art assets interpreted as derived from Antireal’s original work.
In a statement echoing previous admissions made via their MarathonDevTeam X account, Cross affirmed that the contested assets would be removed from the game. He highlighted ongoing efforts to meticulously comb through all of Marathon’s art assets to identify any additional unauthorized uses. Furthermore, Cross emphasized Bungie’s commitment to rectify the situation with Antireal, revealing that they have reached out to the artist for collaboration.
When questioned during the livestream about the decision not to hire Antireal directly, Cross responded affirmatively, indicating that Bungie is indeed open to contracting Antireal for future contributions, emphasizing that any assets lifted without permission must be replaced with original designs crafted by Bungie’s own artists.
Background on the Controversy
In another instance of controversy, Bungie faced allegations of misappropriating art from Antireal, highlighted in a recent alpha release of Marathon. The artist took to X to express disappointment, stating that the alpha appears “covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017, ” presenting comparative images to substantiate their claims.
Antireal noted, “Bungie is not required to hire me while creating a game that utilizes a design language I’ve honed over the past decade, ” while further lamenting the ongoing exploitation of their work: “Clearly, my designs were good enough to mimic and distribute in their game without compensation or credit.” They voiced frustration over the recurring issue where major corporations find it easier to copy rather than collaborate, remarking on the struggle to receive fair recognition for their artistic contributions.
Through the MarathonDevTeam X account, which has a smaller audience compared to the primary Marathon account or the main Bungie account, Bungie acknowledged the oversight, explaining that the unauthorized use of Antireal’s art was a mistake caused by a former artist’s inclusion of these designs in a texture sheet utilized in-game.
The statement read: “We are thoroughly reviewing our in-game assets, especially those associated with the previous Bungie artist, and implementing stricter verification processes to document all artistic contributions.” This marks the fourth instance of Bungie being reprimanded for using artists’ work without proper attribution—a troubling trend that has surfaced since 2021. The article references similar incidents that have occurred through 2024 and into 2025.
As a proactive measure, Bungie revealed its plans to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of its asset management in order to avert recurrences of this nature, underlining their intention to honor the dedication and creativity of the artists they collaborate with.“Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, ” the post concluded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Jv5H3_yAoVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Marathon | Alpha Intro Cinematic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Jv5H3_yAo)Reacting to the controversy, Antireal revealed that several Bungie artists, including art director Joseph Cross, have been following their work on X for years, yet there was no prior contact made between them and the Bungie creative team.
For the fourth time, it is evident that Bungie’s art pipeline faces significant challenges. The recurrence of such oversights raises concerns about the integrity of their creative process and invites questions regarding the management of artistic resources within the company.
Source & Images
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