Bungie settles Destiny 2 lawsuit with writer who accused the studio of plagiarism

Bungie has reached a settlement in its year-long copyright lawsuit with sci-fi writer Matthew Martineau, who had accused the studio of plagiarism regarding Destiny 2’s Red War and Curse of Osiris storylines.

The details:

• Back in October 2024, Martineau filed a lawsuit against the Destiny 2 developer, claiming that it had copied significant portions from his stories, which were published online between 2013 and 2014. The case highlighted several elements from the base game’s Red War storyline and the plot of its first expansion that were said to be strikingly similar to that of Martineau’s work. Despite Bungie’s efforts to get the lawsuit dismissed, the motion was denied, prompting deeper research into the allegations.
• As reported by The Game Post, the case has now closed as both parties have reached a settlement. According to new court documents obtained by the publication, a settlement conference was held in front of a judge on November 12, and on November 14 it was confirmed that "all parties have firmly agreed upon a compromise," dismissing the case without costs and with a sixty-day window to finalize terms.
• Details of the settlement have not been revealed, and it is likely that both Bungie and Martineau have signed non-disclosure agreements to keep everything under wraps. However, it’s likely that it involved some form of monetary compensation from Bungie, which may have wanted to close the case to prevent additional damages in the future.