Sony and Bungie settle Marathon stolen art fiasco with original creator

Marathon's stolen art controversy has officially been settled ahead of the shooter's upcoming planned launch.

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Back in May, Bungie was caught by serious allegations of art theft. Creator Antireal alleged that Marathon used artwork that they created way back in 2017, and Bungie later admitted to the wrongdoing. Now the issue has been solved amicably, potentially by a payout from Bungie and/or Sony themselves.

"The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction," Antireal wrote on Twitter.

• Read more: Bungie's independence is getting 'lighter' as PlayStation Studios slowly absorbs the studio

What's interesting to note about this development is the timing. Sony wants to release Marathon by the end of their fiscal year in March 2026, and the game is currently in closed testing phases. Sony wants to capitalize Marathon's dev costs and put the game out to not only rack up sales, but also (hopefully) microtransaction spending.

Another thing to remember is that Bungie may essentially have lost its independence in the organization. In 2022, Sony purchased Bungie for $3.7 billion, with a portion of that price being offered to workers should certain criteria be met. On the flip side, the contract also stated that Sony could effectively take over Bungie if Bungie failed to meet revenue targets. Under the terms, Sony could dissolve Bungie's internal board of directors and essentially take control.

That may have happened--in 2023, Destiny 2 missed revenue targets by some 50%--and Bungie may effectively have been absorbed by SIE.

In August, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons left the company after 20+ years with the group. This may have been a telling sign of Sony's takeover.

In that same month, Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao had said that Bungie's independence is "getting lighter":

"As you have said, the leaders...at the time of acquisition, we were offering a very independent environment. Though that was one way of thinking. However, thereafter we have gone through structural reform as we have announced last year, so this type of independence is getting lighter.

"Bungie is shifting to a role which is becoming more of a part of PlayStation Studios, and integration is also proceeding. So long-term, you can see this as an ongoing process. The direction is to become part of PlayStation Studios."