Bungie confirms that an artist’s work was taken and used in Marathon without their permission
The staff member responsible no longer works at Bungie, the studio says
Bungie has acknowledged that an artist’s work was taken and used in its upcoming Marathon without their permission.
Scottish artist Fern Hook, who posts as 4nt1r34l on social media, posted a series of messages on X on Thursday, accusing Bungie of taking assets from her previous work and using it in the newly released alpha for the game.
“The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017,” Hook claimed, posting numerous comparison images.
“Bungie is of course not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language I have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution.”
the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross pic.twitter.com/0Csbo48Jgb
— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025
Bungie has now acknowledged that Hook’s claims are accurate, and that the staff member responsible for the apparent plagiarism is no longer employed there.
“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,” a statement in the game’s official Discord server reads. “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. As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission.
“To prevent similar issues in the future, we are conducting a thorough review of our in-game assets, specifically those done by the former Bungie artist, and implementing stricter checks to document all artist contributions. We value the creativity and dedication of all artists who contribute to our games, and we are committed to doing right by them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Hook also claimed that a number of Bungie artists have been following her on social media for a number of years, implying that they have been aware of her work for some time.
“In 10 years I have never made a consistent income from this work and I am tired of designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living,” she wrote.
Since her initial posts, however, Hook has noted that she has received a wealth of support as well as donations supporting her work, which she says “helps enormously”.
Marathon is set for release on September 23 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC. Bungie has confirmed that the game will be a “premium product”, though the studio has yet to confirm the price.
It was reported last year that Bungie and Sony are reportedly considering a $40 price tag for Marathon. This price point would bring it in line with Helldivers 2 and the now-defunct Concord.
