Bungie Lawsuit Had To Cite Destiny 2 Fan Videos Because In-Game Content No Longer Exists

In Destiny 2, developer Bungie has been known for removing older content through a process they call “vaulting” to accommodate new additions. However, it seems that this approach, which has been met with some controversy, unintentionally caused issues. In a lawsuit against them, Bungie had to refer to fan videos on YouTube because the content in question is no longer playable within the game.

Last year, I found myself in a peculiar situation when a sci-fi author, Matthew Kelsey Martineau, accused Bungie of plagiarizing one of his works – specifically, the enemy faction known as the Red Legion from his WordPress posts. Now, I, as a gamer, was skeptical about these allegations. However, when Bungie’s legal team needed to defend their case, they had to resort to something quite unusual – citing fan-made YouTube compilations of cutscenes and gameplay from the original Destiny 2 campaign, which is no longer accessible.

Typically, a company could easily submit a copy of the game as evidence, but given the circumstances, that wasn’t an option here. It was a fascinating twist in this intellectual property dispute.

The provided passage explains that since (1) the storyline of Destiny 2 has evolved over time as a live-service game, making physical copies obsolete, and (2) there are no longer any physical copies available for purchase, these attached videos offer the best method for the court to assess the material in question. To put it another way, due to the dynamic nature of Destiny 2’s narrative and the unavailability of physical copies, the linked videos, such as the ten-hour “complete story” compilation by YouTuber My Name is Byf, serve as the most convenient means for the court to review the relevant content.

Bungie hasn’t added new content for quite a while, but they have gradually brought back specific important content, such as raids, which were inaccessible for a long stretch.

There’s still no word on the outcome of the lawsuit.

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2025-02-26 01:39