An author is suing Bungie for copyright infringement after they say the studio copied his writing in order to develop the story for Destiny 2.
In the lawsuit filed on October 2 (first reported by The Game Post), Kelsey Martineau, an author based out of Louisiana in the United States, says Destiny 2’s Red War story features a number of elements from his work. Martineau, who goes by the pen name Caspar Cole, says his work was published in 2013 and 14, three years before the release of Destiny 2.
“Although Destiny 2 offers an immersive and thrilling gaming experience that keeps players on the edge of their seats, the game is based directly on Martineau’s source work,” the claim reads.
When listing out similarities between his story — also involving a group known as the Red Legion — Martineau claims that the characters throughout the stories “display very similar attitudes, histories, and mindsets”. In addition, it’s stated that “the rise of Dominus Ghaul from Destiny 2 replicates the rise of Overlord Yinnerah from Martineau’s work.”
“They are both urged, guided and assisted by outcast mentors (scholars) to overthrow their leaders to rise to power with the intentions of invading Earth,” it reads.
The lawsuit states that Bungie’s copying of Martineau’s work was “deliberate and intentional”. As such, he is demanding for a jury trial and is seeking damages for “copyright infringement and willful infringement”. The suit also requests that Bungie stop distributing any content related to the work along with an “accounting of any and all sales of products or services that infringe” on Martineau’s rights.
As of writing, Bungie has not commented on the lawsuit. If you want to read the full details of the 53-page lawsuit, you can below.
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