Bungie developers use Scottish artist's work without permission
Bungie, an American video game company which was acquired by Sony in July 2022, has been accused by digital artist 4nt1r34l on X after the company used several assets from posters she designed in 2017 for its new game, Marathon.
The independent artist, 30-year-old Fern Hook, said that Bungie's new first-person shooter in-game environments were 'covered' in their work without being paid or credited.
Hook took to social media to call out Bungie, but said she does not have the energy or the resources to pursue the matter in court.
READ MORE: Brian Cox and Laura Main back fundraiser to save 'lifeline' Scottish arts centre
She wrote: 'Bungie is, of course, not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language I have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution.'
Hook added: 'In 10 years I have never made a consistent income from this work and I am tired of designers from huge companies moodboarding and parasitising my designs while I struggle to make a living.'
Hook posted her futuristic iconography and font designs on social media sites such as Tumblr and X as far back as 2017.
Similar features of her work are seen all over the environment and the objects within Marathon after it was released to the general public in an early version of the game.
The Marathon development team confirmed an investigation took place and admitted the decals were unknowingly used by the existing art team.
The developers said they have reached out to the Scottish artist and that they take matters like this 'very seriously' and are committed to 'doing right by them'.
Their statement read: 'As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission.
'To prevent similar issues in the future, we are conducting a thorough review of our in-game assets, specifically those done by the former Bungie artist, and implementing stricter checks to document all artist contributions.
'We value the creativity and dedication of all artists who contribute to our games, and we are committed to doing right by them. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.'
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