According to Eurogamer.net, Bungie has settled a copyright lawsuit with writer Matthew Martineau who accused the studio of plagiarizing elements of Destiny 2’s story, specifically the Red War plot and Curse of Osiris expansion. The settlement terms, including any compensation, remain confidential despite the case moving forward after a US federal judge rejected Bungie’s dismissal attempt back in May. This legal resolution comes during a particularly difficult period for Bungie, which is also facing a $200 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit from former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett. The studio recently admitted to using an external artist’s work without permission for the upcoming Marathon game. Meanwhile, Sony recorded financial losses in its games segment due to “impairment losses” against Bungie’s assets following its $3.6 billion acquisition of the studio.
The Settlement That Almost Wasn’t
Here’s the thing about this settlement – it almost didn’t happen. Back in May, Bungie tried to get this case thrown out entirely. But the judge basically said no way, not without better evidence. And here’s where it gets interesting: Bungie couldn’t provide a working copy of Destiny 2 featuring the original story campaign because, well, they’d vaulted it. That controversial content vault system came back to bite them in a legal context. So they were stuck between a rock and a hard place – either fight this in court with incomplete evidence or settle quietly. They chose the latter.
A Troubling Pattern Emerges
This isn’t just a one-off situation for Bungie. Look at their track record recently – multiple instances of artists claiming their work was used in Destiny 2 without permission, that Marathon incident where they had to admit using external artwork without consent, and now this settlement. When you see this many copyright and plagiarism issues popping up, it starts to look less like coincidence and more like a pattern. What’s going on over there? Are their internal processes breaking down, or is this just the cost of doing business in the live service game world?
Sony’s $3.6 Billion Headache
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room – Sony’s massive $3.6 billion acquisition. That investment isn’t looking so hot right now. Sony literally recorded losses specifically tied to Bungie’s value in their latest earnings report. When a company the size of Sony calls out impairment losses against your assets, that’s corporate speak for “we paid too much and now we’re admitting it.” Combine that with all these legal troubles and you’ve got a real mess on your hands. I can’t help but wonder if Sony executives are having second thoughts about this purchase.
What Comes Next?
So where does Bungie go from here? They’ve got The Final Shape expansion coming for Destiny 2, they’re working on Marathon, and they’re supposedly helping with Sony’s live service push. But with all these legal distractions and financial pressures, can they actually deliver? The settlement gives them one less headache to deal with, but the underlying issues that led to these multiple plagiarism claims haven’t been addressed. And with creative leadership in turmoil following Barrett’s departure and subsequent lawsuit, the studio’s future seems shakier than ever. Basically, they need to ship some incredible games soon, or that Sony acquisition might go down as one of the gaming industry’s most expensive mistakes.
