Artist Antireal Accuses Bungie of Stealing His Work marathon Game credit was credited without contacting me first. 2025 has been a tough year for Bungie and its extraction shooter. marathon. After a long development cycle that included long periods of silence, marathon It was originally scheduled for release later that year, but largely negative alpha testing led Bungie to ultimately delay the title until 2026 to give the studio more time to further refine and improve the experience.
In addition to feedback and criticism marathon He was also involved in a large-scale art plagiarism scandal. Following the alpha test, an indie artist known as Antireal (real name Fern Hook) took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the game's visual design, which appeared to have been stolen from his 2017 portfolio. Antireal also posted comparison photos as evidence, specifically highlighting certain icons and other environmental designs. Bungie responded quickly, confirming that the former employee had included it as a texture sheet ultimately used in-game. marathon's former art director Joseph Cross also received criticism from the community, which was also generally skeptical of Bungie's overall response.
Marathon received positive reviews but failed to dominate the ARC Raiders.
Destiny and Halo developer Bungie released its new extraction shooter Marathon to positive reviews, but failed to dethrone ARC Raiders.
Artist Antireal gets in-game credits within the marathon credits.
However, after a thorough investigation, Bungie has decided to remove the offending artwork and improve our review process to prevent future issues. The plagiarism case was also resolved privately, with Antireal confirming in a December 2025 post that the matter had been satisfactorily resolved. No other details were provided on the matter, leaving fans wondering what kind of compensation or credit Antireal received at the time. Fortunately, at least part of the puzzle has been solved. marathon Now available worldwide.
For those of you who watched Marathon's credits sequence, there is a Freelance section that honors all involved people who are not officially part of Sony or Bungie but who contributed or helped work on the game. In addition to additional art, concept art, narrative consultant, and character artist, there is a visual design consultant position occupied by “Fern Hook – Antireal.” People seem generally satisfied with the outcome, but some speculate that credit may have been part of the settlement agreement. Others are hopeful that Bungie may have provided some compensation to Antireal as well. Still, it's a positive conclusion to a messy situation, with Bungie acknowledging the artist as part of the credits.
Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
start
Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Difficult (10)
As expected from most live service style games, marathon I'm going through some growing pains right now. Bungie's Microtransactions marathon Players who purchase the premium currency called LUX have been complaining that while the $10 pack gives players 1,100 to work with, character skins are set at 1,200 and cannot be purchased without spending more money. Bungie responded to the complaints by announcing that the $10 pack will now provide 1,200 LUX, and those who previously purchased the pack will also receive 20 LUX credits.
These changes, along with Bungie's efforts to improve purchasable cosmetics across the board, will go a long way toward increasing player satisfaction. There was a sense of relief at launch when Bungie confirmed player-friendly features like non-expiring reward passes. marathonPrevious seasons can be purchased, and seasonal content is generally free to all players. FOMO, or fear of missing out on something, has been a common experience in Bungie's other hit games. Destiny 2Many fans are hoping a similar system will be utilized. marathon.
- released
-
March 5, 2026
- ESRB
-
Teen/Animation Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
- multiplayer
-
Online multiplayer, online co-op
