First Descendant dev promises to make changes after Destiny 2 ‘plagiarism’ accusations

Nexon has said it will change in-game icons in its shooter The First Descendant, after it was accused of plagiarising art from Destiny 2.

Earlier this week, Forbes writer Paul Tassi accumulated a series of icons from Nexon’s recently-launched looter shooter and compared them to similar-looking icon art in Destiny 2.

The image above, created by Tassi, appears to show that several icons share similar shapes and design motifs as those used in Destiny 2.

As reported by IGN, there is evidence to suggest that the root of the problem could be an icon database called Iconduck which features a Destiny Icons set, seemingly mistakenly labelled as open source.

In a statement issued to IGN, Nexon has now addressed the issue, admitted that Destiny 2 served as inspiration for The First Descendant, and promised to make changes to its art.

“The First Descendant, as a looter shooter game, was developed with a deep affection and respect for other games in the genre,” a statement reads. “Destiny 2, being a globally renowned looter shooter game, is also personally admired and respected by the team, and it has served as an inspiration during the development process.

“We have taken the concerns raised seriously and decided to make adjustments to ensure that the imagery that may appear similar clearly reflects the unique identity of our game. We will continue to improve the game for fans of the looter shooter genre.”

Further reading

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The First Descendant was released earlier this month on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

The free-to-play shooter earned a large player count during its opening days, but also received criticism from players who felt the game’s microtransactions are aggressive and that the game requires too much of a grind as a free-to-play player.