Home / Arts and Entertainment / Bungie Resolves Art Theft Claims for Marathon Game
Bungie Resolves Art Theft Claims for Marathon Game
4 Dec
Summary
- Bungie settled a plagiarism dispute with artist Fern Hook over Marathon assets.
- Marathon's launch date has been pushed to March 2026.
- The game's development faced delays due to the asset usage controversy.
Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment have apparently reached a resolution regarding the plagiarism allegations that surfaced for the game Marathon. Artist Fern Hook, operating online as 'Antireal,' announced on X that her concerns about Bungie's use of her work without proper credit in Marathon have been settled to her satisfaction.
The controversy arose when it was discovered that certain assets and textures in Marathon's alpha version were derived from Hook's existing work. Bungie acknowledged the issue, launching an investigation and expressing a desire to discuss the matter directly with Hook. While the specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed, the resolution appears to have cleared the path forward.
Following the plagiarism concerns, Bungie initially delayed Marathon from its planned September 2025 release. After conducting closed playtests of a revised version in October, Sony's latest financial report indicates Marathon is now slated for release by March 2026. This resolution is particularly significant as Marathon marks Bungie's first new franchise since Destiny 2 in 2017, and timely settlement is crucial given Sony's heightened focus on developer performance.
