Bungie resolves Marathon art plagiarism controversy with independent artist

Antireal, the UK-based artist whose work was used in Bungie's upcoming Marathon without her permission, has confirmed that the situation has been resolved to her satisfaction, marking the conclusion of a dispute that began in May 2025.

The details:

• Earlier this year, Scottish artist Fern '4nt1r34l' Hook accused Bungie of using assets from her previous work in the alpha build of Marathon without permission, providing several clear examples of decals that had been directly lifted from her portfolio. Bungie acknowledged the claim was accurate and stated that a former staff member had been responsible for stealing the artwork.
• The developer took immediate action by pulling all gameplay footage from its following livestream and initiated a review process to remove any art from the game that was "inappropriately sourced." Bungie committed to ensuring similar situations would not occur in the future and expressed its intention to "do right" by Hook. Marathon was later delayed indefinitely, with Bungie reportedly in "chaos" as a result of the controversy.
• Hook announced on X earlier this week that the dispute with both Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment had been settled to her satisfaction, though the details have yet to be disclosed.