Bungie has been accused of copying a fan art from 2015 for Destiny 2’s new Ace of Spades NERF replica, released as part of the franchise’s 10th Anniversary celebration. This isn’t the first time the developer has faced similar accusations.
Bungie has found itself in hot water yet again after releasing the real-life NERF replica of the beloved Ace of Spades exotic hand cannon, which was meant to be part of the celebrations for Destiny’s 10th anniversary. But, it looks like this release led to some serious accusations.
Update, September 11, 2:58 PM PT: Bungie has released an official statement regarding this issue, saying that it is investigating this whole situation internally and with the partner.
“We are currently investigating internally and with our partner. We are in contact with the artist and will share more on what next steps we are taking once we have gathered more information.”
Original story: Earlier today, a Destiny 2 community member and artist, Tofu_Rabbit, took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that the Ace of Spades NERF gun design “directly lifts a commission” they did back in 2015.
Fan Accuses Bungie of Copying Art for Destiny 2 10th Anniversary NERF Replica
Tofu_Rabbit posted a side-by-side comparison of their 2015 commission and the newly released NERF design, pointing out striking similarities between the two.
“Hey Bungie… the NERF Ace of Spades directly lifts a commission I did in 2015. This is not ‘similar’ or a coincidence, you can see my same brush strokes and scratches/smudges,” Tofu_Rabbit said in their post.
When looking at the images, it’s hard to deny the resemblance. Specific brush strokes, patterns, and design elements seem to have been carried over from the fan art to the official NERF gun.
The comparisons can be found below.
The fan’s post quickly gained attention, drawing criticism from the Destiny 2 community and prompting many to call out Bungie quality control processes. At the time of writing, this is the top thread in DestinyTheGame subreddit with over two thousand upvotes and two hundred comments.
This controversy isn’t an isolated incident either. Bungie has been accused of copying community artwork in the past. There have been two other instances where the company had to issue formal apologies after using fan-created content without permission.
Given the history, fans are now waiting to see how Bungie will respond to these new allegations.
