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Despite plagiarism accusations, Marathon maintains its FY2025 launch schedule. Discover how the game's copyright controversy unfolded and what Sony learned from Concord's disappointing performance.

Marathon's FY2025 Release Schedule Confirmed

September 23 Launch Proceeds Despite Copyright Dispute

Sony's recent Game & Network Services presentation on June 13 confirmed Marathon's planned FY2025 release, despite ongoing plagiarism concerns. The showcase included release timelines for the company's live-service games, with Marathon appearing in the FY2025 lineup.

The presentation emphasized developing "Strong Early Engagement for Bungie's Bold and Innovative New Title" during FY2025. While Bungie previously announced the September 23 launch date during an April gameplay reveal, recent developments may impact these plans.

Digital artist Fern Hook (known as ANTIREAL) recently claimed on BlueSky that Marathon's alpha build incorporated unauthorized elements from her 2017 poster designs. The artist provided evidence showing what appeared to be direct use of her work, with some images even featuring poorly obscured versions of her signature.

Bungie responded on X (formerly Twitter) on May 16: "We immediately investigated concerns regarding unauthorized artist decals in Marathon and confirmed a former Bungie artist improperly included these in a texture sheet used in-game."

During a May 17 Developer PlayMA stream, Marathon Art Director Joseph Cross addressed the situation: "An artist working on Marathon improperly used elements from another designer's work without permission in 2020. These elements were included in our alpha build through no fault but our own failure in oversight. We're strengthening our review processes to prevent future occurrences."

While the studio reached out to ANTIREAL for resolution, the artist hasn't provided additional public statements. Observers noted inconsistencies in Bungie's explanation, pointing out that multiple art team members followed ANTIREAL's accounts where her work was publicly available.

ANTIREAL confirmed Cross and other Bungie employees had followed her accounts for years, though she never communicated with them directly. Since these initial statements, no further developments have emerged, but Bungie maintains its commitment to the scheduled release.

Sony Applies Lessons from Concord's Challenges

While Sony's live-service portfolio includes successful titles like MLB: The Show and Helldivers 2, executives acknowledged Concord's underwhelming performance during their June 13 fireside chat. SIE Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst discussed the company's live-service strategy and Marathon's anticipated launch.

Hulst explained: "We're implementing more rigorous development and review processes to avoid repeating Concord's situation. Marathon represents Bungie's first new IP in over a decade, and we're committed to delivering an innovative, engaging experience that meets player expectations."

The executive acknowledged receiving varied feedback but remained optimistic: "We're dedicated to giving Marathon every opportunity to succeed. Our testing and iteration cycle represents a crucial component of live-service development - both pre-launch and throughout the game's lifecycle."

With several months remaining before launch, Bungie faces significant challenges following Sony's experience with Concord. Despite this, company leadership expresses confidence in Marathon's potential within the competitive live-service market.

Marathon is scheduled for release on September 23, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. For ongoing updates about the game's development, explore our related coverage below.