Former Halo developer Bungie is facing a modern lawsuit after a Louisiana man claimed the studio stole plot elements from his story and used them in Destiny 2.
As first reported Game postsuit (the entire suit can be seen on the website Scribe) accuses the game company of copyright infringement related to the 2017 plot of Destiny 2, the Red War. Plaintiff Kelsey Martineau, who created work under the pseudonym Caspar Cole in 2013 and 2014, claims that Bungie took elements of the story he published on WordPress.com.
“Defendants intentionally and intentionally copied the characters, plot, and other copyrightable expressions of Martineau’s works in the infringing game,” states the lawsuit filed on October 2, 2024. “Martineau has never authorized or consented to defendants to use their copyrighted works in manner contested herein.”
Martineau’s lawsuit seeks to stop the distribution of all content related to the plots in question. The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial.
The lawsuit lists examples from Martineau’s work and Destiny 2 that the plaintiff claims are evidence of Bungie’s misconduct. Each story includes references to groups known as the Red Legion, and the clothing highlights the character similarities between Destiny’s Dominus Ghaul and Martineau’s Lord Yinnerah. The document even states that both factions of the Red Legion “imitate each other” and their “goals directly overlap.” It also touches on broader narrative connections, suggesting that both works “detail the rise of a young and ambitious alien with the intention of dividing and conquering Earth in order to acquire strategic assets.”
“The creators of Destiny 2 did not create their version of the Red Legion themselves, but instead unlawfully copied Martineau’s original work,” the lawsuit alleges.
Bungie has not yet commented on Martineau’s copyright infringement lawsuit. Meanwhile, the game developer continues to be reeling from the tumultuous business year that has seen it lay off hundreds of employees AND come under fire from fans. Still, the team says it remains faithful to Destiny and has a “multi-year” plan to make his sci-fi journey eventful. A former Bungie lawyer said in September Sony ‘is forcing them to take their heads out of their asses’.
The history of the Red Legion dates back to Destiny 2, which was released in 2017. In our original Review 8.5/10 of Bungie’s sequel, we said: “Destiny 2’s excellent cooperative and competitive shooting, satisfying loot, and strong social elements will keep us playing.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor to IGN. He began writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work on outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP and Gameranx.
Be sure to follow him on Twitter @MikeCripe.
