Marathon Plagiarism Allegations Fail to Delay FY2025 Release

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Marathon Still Scheduled for FY2025 Release Despite Plagiarism Allegations
Despite ongoing plagiarism concerns, Marathon remains on track for a fiscal year 2025 release. Discover more about the game's creative controversy and how Sony is applying lessons learned from the Concord launch failure.

Marathon Set for September 23 Launch

Sony confirmed during its June 13 Game & Network Services Segment that Marathon will be released in its fiscal year 2025. The presentation slide emphasized the studio’s focus on “Strong Early Engagement for Bungie’s Bold and Innovative New Title.”

While Bungie previously announced the game’s official release date during an April gameplay showcase, recent accusations have cast some doubt over the timeline. However, the development team continues forward without delay.

Last month, digital artist Fern Hook—known online as ANTIREAL—took to BlueSky to accuse Bungie of using her 2017 poster designs in Marathon’s alpha environments. She shared side-by-side comparisons showing what appeared to be direct copies of her artwork, with even her name visible but blurred out in-game.

Bungie responded swiftly via Twitter (X) on May 16, stating: "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."

On May 17, during a Developer PlayMA stream, Marathon Art Director Joseph Cross addressed the issue directly. He admitted that a former employee had incorporated elements from ANTIREAL’s work into a decal sheet without permission or credit. These assets were then integrated into the alpha build. Cross described the incident as an unacceptable oversight and noted that Bungie is improving its internal review processes to prevent future occurrences.

The team reached out to ANTIREAL to resolve the matter, though she has not commented further since the initial allegations. Fans, however, pointed out inconsistencies in Bungie’s explanation—especially since several members of the art team reportedly followed ANTIREAL’s social media accounts where her work is publicly displayed.

ANTIREAL confirmed that Cross and other Bungie employees had followed her for years but stated there had been no prior communication between them.

To date, no further updates have been released, and Bungie remains firm in its commitment to launching Marathon on schedule. Sony’s latest financial briefing did not specify an exact date beyond FY2025, but the game is still expected to arrive later this year.

Learning From the Concord Misstep

Sony owns one of the most successful portfolios of live-service titles, including MLB: The Show, Destiny 2, and Helldivers 2. Yet, it also faced a major setback with the failed launch of Concord.

During the same June 13 Fireside Chat, SIE Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst reflected on the challenges encountered with Concord and how they’re shaping Sony’s approach to Marathon.

"We're placing much stronger emphasis on rigorous research, testing, and iteration across all stages of development," Hulst said. He added that Marathon represents a major milestone as Bungie’s first new IP in over a decade. Known for iconic franchises like Halo and Destiny, the studio carries high expectations.

Though player feedback has been mixed so far, Hulst expressed confidence in the development process. “When launch comes, we’re going to give the title the optimal chance at success,” he explained. “This cycle of test, iterate, test again is such a key component of live service success, both leading up to launch and throughout the life of the game.”

With just months until release, Bungie must navigate heightened scrutiny following Sony’s previous missteps. Still, leadership remains optimistic about Marathon's potential in the competitive live-service market.

Final Details

Marathon is scheduled to launch on September 23, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates by checking back here regularly.

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