Bungie confirms artist’s work was used without permission in Marathon

Bungie has confirmed allegations that it had taken artwork from artist Antireal and used it for textures in Marathon without permission.

The details:

• UK-based artist Fern Hook, also known as Antireal, shared a number of examples of her daily poster designs dating back to 2017, which have been copied directly and used as textures inside Marathon’s Alpha build without permission. The thread clearly shows that various aspects of the posters have been directly lifted, such as arrows, text, and other decals, with one texture still including text reading "Antireal daily series."

• In the thread, Hook explained that many artists, including herself, struggle to make a living from their work, while companies often copy or outright steal their creations without credit. She also stated that, despite the alleged theft of her work, legal action against the Sony-owned developer would be difficult due to a lack of resources, noting that numerous similar incidents have occurred in the industry (and with Bungie) in the past.

• In a repost of Fern's original thread, Antireal collaborator Billain continued to criticize Bungie and Marathon art director Joseph Cross, pointing out that Cross and other Marathon artists are currently following the Antireal X account.

• Bungie has now apologized to Hook and confirmed that the employee responsible for the plagiarism no longer works for the developer. It also stated that "stricter checks" are being implemented to prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future. “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,” reads a statement posted to the official Marathon developer X account. “This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred. We take matters like this very seriously. We have reached out to 4nt1r34l to discuss this issue and are committed to do right by the artist.”

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• Ubisoft has announced it is postponing the release of several major titles, citing the benefits of previously delaying Assassin's Creed Shadows.

• Square Enix has released new screenshots of Kingdom Hearts IV, including one that appears to show a playable Mickey Mouse.