Artist N² accuses Bungie of using some of his creations in Marathon without his authorization
Marathon has been the subject of a little controversy this weekend. On X, artist N² accused Bungie of using several posters he had created. What’s more, he shared some captures to prove his point.
In another message on the social network, N² adds that this isn’t the first time a big company has stolen his work or paid a designer to replicate it. He adds that these people are "parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living". Internet users were quick to lend him their support, and Bungie had to react.
The American studio has issued a statement to explain the situation.
"We immediately investigated an issue regarding the unauthorized use of artists’ posters in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist had included these creations in a textures page that was eventually used in the game."
"This issue has not been identified by our current art team, and we are still investigating how this oversight occurred. We take this kind of problem very seriously. We’ve contacted @4nt1r34l (N²) to discuss the issue and we’re committed to doing right by the artist."
"As a matter of principle, we do not use artists’ works without their permission."
"To avoid similar problems in the future, we are conducting a thorough review of our in-game assets, particularly those created by Bungie’s former artist. We are also implementing stricter controls to document all artist contributions."
"We appreciate the creativity and dedication of all the artists who contribute to our games, and we’re committed to doing right by them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
Internet users dug deeper into the subject, pointing out that several Bungie designers followed N² on the app where his creations were shared. In addition, another user noted that most of Marathon‘s artistic creations seem to be at least minimally inspired by the artist’s entire portfolio. This story may not be over yet.
