Latest news with #FernHook
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Bungie caught stealing Scottish artist's work in new game Marathon
Bungie have said they are 'committed to do right' by Scottish artist Fern Hook, whose work they used without permission in new game Marathon. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... American game developer Bungie has admitted to using the work of a Scottish artist without permission. Official "Code Fragments" art from Bungie's new game, Marathon. | Bungie Best known for creating games such as Halo and Destiny, Bungie - which was acquired by Sony in 2022 - has been accused by independent artist Fern Hook of using a number of assets from posters she designed in new first-person shooter, Marathon without permission. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Posting as 4nt1r34l on X, Hook said that the closed alpha test of Marathon was 'covered' in her work. She wrote: 'The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017.' She continued: '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.' After videos of the alpha version of Marathon began appearing online, the Scottish artist took to X to point out the similarities with her work. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A screenshot from the Marathon reveal trailer. | Bungie She added: 'I don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally but I have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email. '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.' In response, the Marathon development team confirmed that the issue is now being investigated, adding that they have reached out to Hook and are 'committed to do right by the artist'. On X, they wrote: 'We immediately investigated a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred.'
Metro
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Marathon delay predicted as concerns mount over the future of Bungie
The developers behind Marathon and Destiny are at the centre of a plagiarism controversy, as fears grow for the studio's future. Between Halo and Destiny, Bungie were once one of the most successful and respected developers in the world, but the studio's fortunes have very much soured in recent years. After the developer was acquired by Sony in 2022, the team has been subject to several rounds of layoffs, most recently in July last year. The team is set to release its next shooter, Marathon, in September, but events over the past week have now cast a dark cloud over its future. Last week, Scottish artist Fern Hook, who posts as 4nt1r34I (pronounced 'Antireel') on social media, accused Bungie of taking assets from her previous work and using them in the game's alpha without her permission. Bungie later admitted these claims were accurate, but attributed the blame to an unnamed ex-artist at the studio who included the assets in a 'texture sheet' in 2020. A statement on X read: 'This issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred.' They added: 'We take matters like this very seriously. We have reached out to 4nt1r34I to discuss this issue and are committed to do right by the artist. As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission.' Following this incident, a new report claims studio morale at Bungie is at an all-time low, as concerns mount around how it could impact Marathon's launch. According to Forbes, which spoke to current and former employees at Bungie, morale at the studio is in 'free fall' across all departments due to the plagiarism issue. 'The vibes have never been worse,' one developer said. The report claims 'everyone has the same concerns about what happens to Bungie as a studio if Marathon bombs', something the developer 'absolutely cannot afford'. While it's claimed there are 'not even hints or jokes about a delay' internally, the report speculates these conversations are 'likely' happening privately among the studio leadership, to avoid launching the game in what one source described as a 'now actively hostile environment'. We immediately investigated a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game. — MarathonDevTeam (@MarathonDevTeam) May 16, 2025 Even prior to the plagiarism debacle, mixed reactions to the Marathon alpha reportedly led to adjustments to the game's roll out. It's claimed a new trailer was originally going to launch in June, to announce pre-orders, but this has since been pulled. A planned public beta in August, meanwhile, will now allegedly be changed into a 'roadmap of public playtests'. All of these adjustments, combined with the mixed reception and alleged internal strife at the studio, suggests a delay to Marathon is looking likely – especially as we're only four months away from its September launch. GameCentral has reached out to Bungie for comment. Prior to this new report, Bungie addressed the artwork fiasco in an awkward Twitch stream on Friday, which didn't feature any Marathon gameplay due to the ongoing investigation. During the stream, Marathon's art director Joseph Cross claimed Bungie was in the process of 'auditing all of the previous work by the internal artist' and is looking to remove 'anything which is questionably or inappropriately sourced'. More Trending Cross went onto apologise to the artist in question, adding: 'Lastly, personally I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for artists working independently, producing, making a living, doing commercial or fine art. We've worked with many of them. It's one of my favourite parts of the job, to make those connections, create content, and collaborate. 'So to that extent, I want to send my personal apology to 4nt1r34I, whose work was used in this case. I know how unfair this feels, and we're doing everything we can to make this right with her. Her work is fantastic, and we clearly share a mutual appreciation for a specific genre of graphic design, and I'm excited to have folded that into our style in general.' Marathon is set to launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on September 23. Bungie has described it as a 'premium' title, but no specific price has been announced. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be a third party port machine – Reader's Feature MORE: PS6 is Sony's chance to wipe the slate clean and forget the PS5 ever happened – Reader's Feature MORE: Red Dead Redemption 2 getting Switch 2 port and PS5 patch update claims report
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Morale at Bungie reportedly at an all-time low as the iconic FPS dev investigates stolen assets in Marathon: "The vibes have never been worse"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Morale at developer Bungie - the iconic first-person shooter studio behind Destiny and the original Halo games - is reportedly at an all-time low, with some employees unsure about whether their upcoming Marathon reboot can meet its September release date. In case the scandal hasn't reached you yet, earlier this week, futuristic indie artist Fern 'Antireal' Hook accused the studio of using her 2017 art portfolio as inspiration (to put it mildly) for Marathon, without permission or payment. She also posted side-by-side screenshots of her own art work next to Marathon's alpha test, with very similar iconography, patterns, fonts, and sometimes even words appearing in both. Bungie later admitted that a former artist at the studio had mistakenly "included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game," and said it was currently investigating "a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals." A new Forbes report, citing comments from former and current Bungie staff, now gives some insight into what's happening inside the studio. Morale is said to be in "free fall" and "the vibes have never been worse." Higher-ups haven't said anything about a delay potentially hitting Marathon, but many are uncertain about if the shooter can turn around its controversial perception in time for launch, just a few months away. Game director Joe Ziegler even said the studio was "still scrubbing all of our assets to make sure that we are being respectful of the situation" - which obviously sounds like a pretty hefty undertaking. For now, Bungie's legal team and parent company Sony are purportedly also investigating the situation, though the fact the studio neglected to show gameplay footage in this week's livestream discussing the alpha maybe says enough. 5 months from launch, Marathon devs keep evading pricing questions, but Bungie promises that "it's definitely going to be a conversation"
Yomiuri Shimbun
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Artist Accuses Playstation Game of Lifting Her Work; Studio Admits to ‘Oversight'
Sony 'Marathon,' the upcoming multiplayer game by Sony-owned Bungie, has been accused of using artwork from an independent artist without permission. Fern Hook, a 30-year-old independent artist in Scotland, noticed something familiar about 'Marathon,' the upcoming video game by Bungie, the studio that created the Halo series and is now owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. 'Marathon,' she said, is 'covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017,' all in the alpha version of the game, which allowed the general public to play an early version of the multiplayer shooter. She became suspicious when the game was announced in a 2023 trailer, but nothing appeared to her to be derivative at first. In mid-April, content creators began publishing early videos of 'Marathon' gameplay. She said she 'very quickly' began to spot her work. Hook's futuristic iconography and font designs are posted on social media sites like Tumblr and X as far back as 2017, and similar features are seen all over the environment and the objects within 'Marathon,' she said, pointing out the similarities through her social media on Thursday. 'It was kind of vindicating to see direct plagiarism because it meant I wasn't crazy for feeling so uncomfortable with the overall direction,' Hook told The Washington Post. 'I kept quiet about it because I was advised to seek legal action, but … I don't have enough time or money to fly out to the U.S. to pursue an unwinnable court case against Sony.' When The Post contacted Sony about the allegations, a spokesperson pointed to Bungie's statement on social media. The 'Marathon' developer team said on X that it was looking into 'a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game.' 'The issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred,' the studio posted on X, adding that it had contacted Hook to discuss the issue and was 'committed to do right by the artist.' The studio said it is conducting a review of the game's artwork, specifically the images made by the former artist, and implementing 'stricter checks to document all artist contributions.' The allegations could be particularly damaging for Bungie and 'Marathon,' which has struggled to gain positive press during a financially challenging era for the studio. 'Marathon' is a classic 1990s computer shooter with a harrowing science-fiction narrative. The reboot, expected to be released in September, throws that out to instead focus on an always-online, multiplayer-only competitive shooting game. The most widely acclaimed aspect of the new game was its art design, which goes for bold colors and a 1990s futurism vibe. The art style is not original, especially in games, with PlayStation's Wipeout series being an early adopter. But the clean, shiny aesthetic is rare in a modern video games industry typically obsessed with gritty realism. This is not the first time Bungie has been accused of using the work of an independent artist. In 2024, a fan made art of a toy gun designed in the style of Bungie's earlier game 'Destiny 2,' which was then used as a model for a game-themed Nerf gun. Bungie later said it would credit and compensate the artist. Hook said this is also not the first time she has seen her work lifted, and she has made posts over the years alleging other organizations tracing and lifting her work. She said she relies on donations for her various online projects, and this recent incident has seen hundreds of people donating money in support. Hook also composes drum and bass music and sound design for games under the name N2, and produces freelance art work under the name ANTIREAL. She co-runs a design and software consultancy firm called Superstructure as well. 'I'd kind of had to learn to shut up about these cases because they've happened so constantly over the past 10 years,' she said. 'It was tiring to be viewed as 'someone who complains' more than as an artist. But the response this time has been overwhelmingly understanding and I'm extremely thankful for the support.'
Engadget
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Bungie admits its Marathon alpha included stolen artwork
The bright, glitched-out, typography-forward look of Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter Marathon is one of its defining features. As it turns out, it's also partially plagiarized, according to posts shared on the official Marathon X account. The announcement comes after artist Fern Hook, who goes by @4nt1r34l on X, initially accused Bungie of using in-game textures that looked similar to her original artwork on May 15. "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," Hook wrote on X, "but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution." To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Hook's posts are fairly damning, identifying obvious areas in Marathon 's alpha map that feature only lightly altered versions of her original work. She became aware of the issue when the alpha originally launched in April 2025, according to The Washington Post , but kept quiet until now because she was advised to seek legal action. Hook ultimately decided to post about the issue because she doesn't "have enough time or money to fly out to the US to pursue an unwinnable court case against Sony." Bungie's statement claims that "a former Bungie artist" included Hook's art in a texture sheet without the rest of the art team's knowledge. The company is "conducting a thorough review of [its] in-game assets" and has also reached out to Hook to "discuss the issue" further. As Eurogamer notes, this isn't the first time Bungie has been accused of lifting the work of other artists. The developer was accused of doing the same thing multiple times during the development of Destiny 2 and its various expansions. Since the game is still in development, it's not clear how or if Bungie will change Marathon to address Hook's complaint, but the developer has until September 23 to do it. That's when Marathon is supposed to launch on PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.
