Key Takeaways
1. Scottish artist Fern Hook, known as Antireal, resolved her dispute with Bungie over unauthorized use of her artwork to her satisfaction.
2. The issue arose when elements of Hook’s 2017 poster designs were found in the environments of Bungie’s Marathon game.
3. Bungie’s art director, Joseph Cross, acknowledged the plagiarism and confirmed that graphic elements were used without permission.
4. In response to the backlash, Bungie removed gameplay footage and initiated an internal review to address the issue of appropriated art.
5. Cross apologized and committed to improving the review process to prevent similar incidents in the future, although specific terms of the resolution remain undisclosed.
One of the most debated stories of digital art copycatting in 2025, connected to Bungie’s Marathon, has taken a positive turn. Scottish artist Fern Hook, who is known as Antireal, has shared that her disagreement with Bungie regarding the unauthorized use of her artwork has been sorted out in a way that makes her happy.
Update from the Artist
In a recent update on X, Hook wrote, “The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction,” indicating that the plagiarism scandal following Marathon’s announcement has finally come to an end.
Background of the Issue
The matter started when Hook noticed elements from her 2017 poster designs appearing in the environments showcased during Marathon’s alpha build, which Bungie revealed in a livestream this past spring. Hook took to X, tagging art director Joseph Cross, and shared side-by-side images comparing her design work to the text and graphics that were copied into the game. At the time, Hook remarked, “The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017.”
Response from Bungie
Joseph Cross from Bungie quickly acknowledged Hook’s claims, confirming that they were indeed correct. He stated that a previous pre-production artist had “taken several graphic elements from a graphic designer without permission or acknowledgement, and then placed them on a decal sheet that was then checked in.” The gaming community reacted with anger, leading to discussions about the plagiarism issue surrounding Marathon. In response to the negative feedback, Bungie removed all gameplay footage from their upcoming livestream and began an internal review to eliminate any “inappropriately sourced” art from the game.
Commitment to Improvement
Cross also expressed a sincere apology, saying, “There’s absolutely no excuse for this oversight, and we are working on and are 100% committed to a review process to ensure that instances like this don’t happen again at Bungie.” He added, “I know how unfair this feels, and we’re doing everything we can to make this right. Her work is fantastic, and we clearly share a mutual appreciation for a specific genre of graphic design, and I’m excited to have folded that into our style in general.”
Despite the resolution, the specific terms agreed upon by Hook, Bungie, and Sony remain undisclosed. It is also noteworthy that Bungie and Sony have not yet made a public statement about how the matter was resolved.
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