Bungie Settles Destiny 2 Red War Copyright Lawsuit With Writer Matthew Martineau
- Sagar Mankar
- Nov 15
- 3 min read
Bungie has officially settled its year-long copyright lawsuit with sci-fi writer Matthew Martineau, tied to Destiny 2’s now-vaulted Red War campaign.
Filed in October 2024 by Louisiana-based writer Martineau, the lawsuit accused Bungie of lifting key elements from his unpublished works, written under the pen name “Caspar Cole” in 2013 and 2014.
Martineau’s complaint claimed “striking” similarities between his “Red Legion,” a militaristic alien faction, and Destiny 2’s Red Legion Cabal. He also alleged that many of his characters and concepts were mirrored in Bungie’s game, claiming that his alien leader, Yinnerah, and his Atonizer weapon inspired Destiny 2’s Dominus Ghaul and The Almighty, respectively.
According to Martineau, Bungie’s work wasn’t just derivative; it was “intentionally plagiaristic.” He sought damages along with a court order to prevent Bungie from further using what he considered his copyrighted material.
Bungie responded in December 2024, firmly denying the accusations and asking the court to dismiss the case. The company argued that Martineau failed to demonstrate factual copying or any substantial similarity between his manuscripts and the Destiny 2 storyline. Because the Red War campaign was removed from the game years ago and the original content isn’t accessible, Bungie included fan-recorded YouTube videos and Destinypedia summaries to show what Martineau claimed was copied.
The dispute escalated in March 2025 when Martineau filed his first amended complaint, broadening his accusations. Beyond the Red War storyline, he now argued that Bungie also copied his work for Destiny 2’s Curse of Osiris expansion, claiming similarities in dialogue, characters, worldbuilding, and general narrative design.
Until May 2025, the court declined Bungie’s request to dismiss the case. Judges noted that YouTube clips and fan-made wiki pages were insufficient at this early stage for evaluating the validity of Martineau’s claims.
As the case progressed, Martineau continued expanding his allegations. Most recently, on November 3, 2025, his legal team filed a second amended complaint, this time adding Bungie’s multi-volume Destiny Grimoire Anthology series. According to him, these books “overlap directly with the creative elements” he originally wrote, further complicating the lawsuit and dragging more parts of Destiny’s universe into the dispute.
But now, according to filings obtained by The Game Post, the matter has officially been resolved. A settlement conference held on November 12, 2025, before Magistrate Judge North resulted in “successful negotiations” that closed all claims. Judge Susie Morgan later issued an order confirming that “all parties have firmly agreed upon a compromise.”
The lawsuit has been dismissed without costs, although the court will retain jurisdiction for sixty days to make sure the settlement terms are followed. Unless something collapses behind the scenes, this case will not proceed to trial.
Settlements usually indicate that both sides reached a middle ground, even if the final terms aren’t made public.
Bungie, of course, isn’t new to copyright controversies. As reported earlier, the studio faced backlash during the alpha of Marathon when it was accused of using assets from artist ANTIREAL without permission, leading to delays for that project.
Bungie vs. Matthew Martineau: Full Timeline
Oct 2, 2024: Martineau sues Bungie for allegedly copying his ideas in Destiny 2’s Red War.
Dec 20, 2024: Bungie denies all claims and files a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Mar 24, 2025: Martineau expands the lawsuit to include the Curse of Osiris expansion.
May 2, 2025: Court rejects Bungie’s attempt to dismiss the case.
Nov 3, 2025: Martineau files another amended complaint adding the Grimoire Anthology.
Nov 12, 2025: Settlement conference results in successful negotiations.
Meanwhile, the company’s legal troubles aren’t entirely over. A separate lawsuit involving former Destiny 2 game director Christopher Barrett is still active. Barrett is suing Bungie and Sony for $200 million, claiming wrongful termination and alleging the company avoided paying him roughly $50 million. Reports suggest Barrett was fired after complaints from female employees about inappropriate behavior, making that case significantly more complex and sensitive than the Martineau dispute.
Comments