Marathon Art Theft Controversy Officially Resolved as Bungie and Sony Strike Deal with Artist

Marathon’s months-long art plagiarism dispute has officially come to an end after artist Fern “Antireal” Hook confirmed that she has reached a resolution with Bungie and Sony.

Marathon’s art plagiarism controversy | Image via Bungie

The controversy first erupted on May 15, when Antireal publicly compared her 2017 graphic design work with several in-game textures from Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. The side-by-side images she posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed almost identical decals and signage, sparking immediate backlash and raising questions about how the studio handles external art.

Within hours, Bungie admitted fault, stating that “a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet” and promising to “do right by the artist.”

Marathon’s Art Director Joe Cross described the incident as “inexcusable,” acknowledging that graphic elements had been taken without permission or credit. The fallout was immediate: Bungie delayed the game’s planned September 23 release date indefinitely, while also launching a full audit of its visual assets.

Now, seven months after the accusations surfaced, Antireal has delivered the update. In a December 2 post on X, she wrote: “The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction.” That’s the only confirmed detail so far. She hasn’t shared what the agreement includes, and Bungie and Sony haven’t disclosed anything publicly either. It could be financial compensation, proper credit, future collaboration, or something entirely different—right now, it’s all speculation.

Meanwhile, Bungie is pressing ahead with a new Marathon ViDoc and another private test later this month. Rumors point to a possible release by March 2026, but Sony hasn’t made anything official yet.