Latest news with #Hook
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Eagles OTAs: 5 under-the-radar players to watch on defense
Eagles OTAs: 5 under-the-radar players to watch on defense We're focusing on five under-the-radar defensive players to watch during the Philadelphia Eagles' three remaining OTA sessions and the mandatory minicamp. The Eagles went indoors on Wednesday to hold Day 2 of OTAs in the practice bubble with constant rain going on up and down the Metro Atlantic and the East Coast. The second of six workouts saw Dallas Goedert, Saquon Barkley, and plenty of big names in attendance, while DeVonta Smith, Bryce Huff, and others were absent for personal reasons. Philadelphia has four sessions remaining and will return to the field on Friday, and then they'll be off until Monday and Tuesday, before wrapping up OTAs on Thursday. With a June 10 mandatory minicamp looming before the summer break, we're examining five under-the-radar players to watch on defense. LB Lance Dixon – Toledo #41 A former five-star recruit and No. 13 prospect coming out of high school, Dixon had 46 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2024 for Toledo after transferring from West Virginia, where he spent three seasons. The former safety turned linebacker is 6-2, 233 pounds, and is from Oak Park, Michigan. DB Maxen Hook – Toledo #37 A former teammate of star cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Hook was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2024, his third straight season earning the honor. He was the third Toledo Rocket to make an All-MAC team in four seasons. Hook could be this year's Reed Blankenship after accepting an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl and finishing 24th in the nation with 8.92 tackles per game. Hook finished his career with 356 tackles, seven interceptions, and 22 passes defended in 52 games. DB Brandon Johnson – Oregon #35 Named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2024, Johnson played in 14 games for the Ducks, logging 45 tackles, five pass breakups, and 4.5 tackles for loss. Johnson played three seasons at Duke before transferring to Oregon. DB B.J. Mayes – Texas A&M #49 At 6-1 and 195 pounds, Mayes is a versatile nickel corner with the size and speed to play on the outside. Mayes played one season at Texas A&M and led the team with four interceptions in 2024, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Before his time with the Aggies, he spent two seasons at Incarnate Word and one at UAB. DB Lewis Cine Cine was selected by Minnesota 32nd overall in the 2022 draft and joined the Bills' practice squad after being released by the Vikings last summer. He broke his leg during his rookie season and was limited to playing 10 defensive snaps in 10 games over his two years in Minnesota. The 24-year-old from Haiti is listed at 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds and is a low-risk signing after a decorated college career at Georgia. Cine earned defensive MVP honors in Georgia's 33-18 win over Alabama in the national championship game in the 2021 season. DB Andre Sam Sam spent the season on Philadelphia's practice squad. Sam (5-11, 191 pounds) jumped from FCS after starting his career in 2017 at McNeese State, where he was selected First Team All-Southland Conference twice. Sam transferred to Marshall for the 2022 season before spending last year at LSU. Overall, he played 58 games in college, registering 144 tackles, ten pass defenses, and nine interceptions.
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.'
The National
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
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.'
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.
