Bungie’s Marathon Disaster: Stolen Art Forces DELAY?!

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Despite the recent revelation of plagiarism allegations regarding art assets, Bungie pressed forward with their live stream Q&A session. They also announced that certain post-release content may need to be rescheduled for a later date.

A creative individual spotted various items in Marathon Alpha that appeared reminiscent to her, and upon a thorough examination, she discovered that certain poster designs from her 2017 collection had been copied without credit and incorporated straight into the game.

Shortly afterward, Bungie acknowledged their mistake and vowed to rectify the situation with Antireal, the initial team of artists responsible for the project.

During the live broadcast, it became clear that this procedure will bring about a substantial impact on Marathon in the future. Although the game release isn’t being delayed, they will need to pace the post-release content carefully to ensure no more plagiarized work finds its way into the game.

Bungie delays Marathon content to remove stolen art

Previously, Marathon had experienced some delays. Given that Bungie is wrapping up production on Destiny 2’s content to a certain extent, it seems evident that the release of the game is now imminent. Postponing it any further appears unlikely to be feasible.

Consequently, returning to revise Marathon’s content will significantly impact its ongoing development process.

Joe Cross, Marathon’s Art Director, spoke on the controversy:

It was brought to light that during the initial development phase of Marathon, an artist utilized several visual components created by another graphic designer, without seeking permission or giving credit. This unacknowledged work was later included in updates made in 2020, as was clarified.

Our team is fully devoted to improving and refining our review procedure. We aim to prevent occurrences similar to this, not just for Marathon, but also at Bungie.

He mentioned that apart from collaborating with Antireal to resolve issues, they are also reviewing all past works by that artist and postponing initial glimpses of the game in the meantime.

As a gamer, I participated in what they called a “PlayMA,” expecting a lively discussion about an innovative game. However, there was an uncomfortable silence because the developers couldn’t demonstrate their work, as it seemed to be copied from somewhere else.

As a fan, I’m curious about how they plan to rectify this issue with Fern, the original artist. Will they be providing some form of monetary reparation for the plagiarism? Have they reached out to discuss licensing the work so it can remain in the game while respecting her rights?

It seems that Bungie intends to take drastic measures, erasing any artwork associated with her, regardless of its significance to the game’s overall visual style – even if it is deeply ingrained in the game’s identity at present.

ANTIREAL landing page prototype
2017

voronoi vector geo + realtime audio

— N² (@4nt1r34l) November 23, 2023

Initially, the artist who created the original piece felt uneasy upon viewing Marathon’s artwork, yet lacked definitive evidence to accuse plagiarism. However, it is evident that her own works, such as those displayed above, share many striking resemblances with this particular one.

Fern found a sense of validation when they discovered blatant plagiarism, as it confirmed their unease about the project’s trajectory. They chose not to speak up initially because they were advised to take legal action, but due to lack of resources and time, pursuing a futile lawsuit against Sony in the U.S. wasn’t feasible.

Additionally, it remains uncertain whether these modifications have influenced the scheduled Open Beta version, as well. The Open Beta is still intended to launch prior to Marathon’s release in September.

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2025-05-17 02:19