Former Halo developer Bungie is going through a brand new lawsuit after a Louisiana man claimed the studio stole plot components from his story and used them for content material in Destiny 2.
As first reported by The Game Post, the swimsuit (obtainable to see in full through Scribd) accuses the sport firm of copyright infringement associated to Destiny 2’s 2017 storyline, The Red War. Plaintiff Kelsey Martineau, who in 2013 and 2014 created work below the pen identify Caspar Cole, alleges that Bungie lifted components from a narrative he printed on WordPress.com.
“Defendants have intentionally and deliberately copied the characters, storyline, and different protectable expression from Martineau’s works in the Infringing Sport,” claims the swimsuit filed on October 2, 2024. “Martineau has by no means licensed or given consent for Defendants to make use of their copyrighted works in the way complained of herein.”
Martineau’s swimsuit is aiming to halt the distribution of all content material associated to the storylines in query. The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial.
The declare features a laundry checklist of examples from each Martineau’s work and Destiny 2 that the plaintiff claims is proof of Bungie’s wrongdoing. Included in every story are mentions of teams referred to as the Red Legion, with the swimsuit pointing to character similarities between Destiny’s Dominus Ghaul and Martineau’s Overlord Yinnerah. The doc goes so far as to say that each Red Legion factions “mimic each other” and that their “objectives immediately overlap.” It additionally touches on broader narrative connections, suggesting that each works “element the rise of a younger and impressive alien with the intent of dividing and conquering Earth in order to realize strategic asset(s).”
“The creators of Destiny 2 didn’t independently create their model of the Red Legion however as a substitute of have wrongfully copied Martineau’s unique creation,” the swimsuit alleges.
Bungie has but to touch upon Martineau’s copyright infringement lawsuit. In the meantime, the sport developer continues to be surrounded by a tumultuous 12 months of enterprise that has seen it shed tons of of employees in layoffs and come below fireplace from followers. Nonetheless, the crew says it stays dedicated to Destiny and has a “multi-year” plan to maintain its sci-fi journey chugging. In September, a former Bungie lawyer stated Sony is “forcing them to get their heads out of their asses.”
The Red Legion stems again to the early days of Destiny 2, which launched in 2017. In our unique 8.5/10 evaluation of Bungie’s sequel, we stated, “Destiny 2’s glorious co-op and aggressive taking pictures, rewarding loot, and powerful social components will hold us taking part in.”
Michael Cripe is a contract contributor with IGN. He began writing in the business in 2017 and is greatest recognized for his work at retailers similar to The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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