‘Marathon’ video game maker investigating how artist’s work got in the game without her permission

Bungie, the developers of the upcoming video game “Marathon,” are investigating after an artist’s work ended up in the game without her permission.

The artist, Fern Hook, posted a thread Thursday on X that included screenshots comparing her artwork from 2017 to visuals in a recent alpha version of the game, which is due for release on Sept. 23.

“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,” Ms. Hook wrote.

In subsequent posts, Ms. Hook said that this is not the first time a “major company” has used her work without permission and said she is “tired of designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living.”

Another X user posted a screenshot from the game featuring the Internet meme “Loss” that Ms. Hook had previously hidden in her works, writing, “If anyone doubts the theft of your art, this also confirms it.”

The development team for Marathon said the visuals Ms. Hook pointed out were included in the game by a former artist at Bungie.

“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. … This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred,” the developers said.

They added that the other visual assets in “Marathon” are under review, specifically those done by the unnamed former Bungie artist, and that stricter checks regarding art assets are being implemented.

This incident is not the first time an art team for a Bungie game has faced accusations of stolen work. In 2023, artist Julian Faylona posted a side-by-side comparison of one of his pieces with a cutscene from the game “Destiny.” In 2024, artist Tofu Bunny said that the design of a “Destiny 2”-themed toy gun was taken directly from fan art she had created.