BUNGIE FACES PLAGIARISM ALLEGATIONS OVER MARATHON ART

Bungie faces new plagiarism allegations related to its upcoming game Marathon. The artist known as 4nt1r34l claims that Bungie's art team incorporated elements of her futuristic designs into the game without permission. The allegations arose when 4nt1r34l shared side-by-side comparisons of her artwork and Marathon's assets on social media, noting the striking similarities, including a specific text found in both her work and the game. Bungie's Marathon development team has acknowledged that a former employee used her art in a texture sheet, promising to rectify the situation and review all assets from that artist. This is the third plagiarism accusation against Bungie in recent years, raising questions about the studio's practices for managing and verifying artistic contributions.

The allegations stem from claims by artist 4nt1r34l that Bungie used elements of her original artwork in Marathon without permission, leading to a formal acknowledgment from the studio about unauthorized use by a former artist.

Marathon is an extraction shooter set to bring a fresh perspective to the genre, marking Bungie's return to a franchise that revolutionized first-person shooters in the 1990s. The original Marathon trilogy introduced a rich narrative and multiplayer gameplay that set it apart from its contemporaries. With Marathon, Bungie aims to combine its storied legacy with new gameplay innovations, drawing the attention of avid fans and newcomers alike. The studio's previous successes with iconic titles like Halo and Destiny have left fans eager for what this revival will bring, making these plagiarism allegations all the more critical to its reputation.