A new cutscene in Destiny 2 reveals some old secrets. However, one scene has left an artist baffled, as his work is featured in it. He wasn’t asked beforehand. Developer Bungie states that a mistake has occurred and they want to ensure fair compensation.
Who is the artist?
- The Philippine Julian Faylona is known as an artist under the name ELEMENTJ21 and creates various artworks, some of which he displays on his website.
- Faylona is a passionate gamer and enjoys playing Destiny 2. He frequently posts fan arts, his own artworks inspired by the game, on Twitter.
- One of these artworks he has also uploaded to Bungie’s library, and now it has appeared in the game itself.
Where has Destiny 2 used it? You can currently unlock a new cutscene in Destiny 2 that revisits some events from the past. Among other things, open questions regarding Lightfall are explained, an expansion that has received much criticism.
Specifically, there is a picture that strongly resembles one of Faylona’s. An image he posted in 2021 has been incorporated into an official artwork in the cutscene with only a few changes.
We won’t spoil exactly what the cutscene is about here. However, you can read more about it in our special:
Destiny 2 finally explains in 3 minutes what the Lightfall campaign has failed at
We embed the cutscene here for you, but once again with a spoiler warning. You can see the artwork around minute 4:53:
External employee confuses artworks, Bungie reacts
Faylona himself has played Destiny 2 and watched the cutscene. He states that he was surprised to suddenly see his own work in the game.
He shares his surprise on Twitter with a direct comparison of the two works:
Bungie has already commented on this, saying it is due to a misunderstanding by an external employee (via PC Gamer). A vendor mistook the artwork for an official artwork and used it for the cutscene.
The studio now wants to contact the artist to clarify the situation and seek compensation.
However, Faylona does not see the matter as seriously as he writes to PC Gamer in a response. The artist says: ‘I am honestly excited and happy that a piece I created 2 years ago […] made it into a cutscene.’
Nevertheless, some users have already criticized Bungie, accusing the studio of stealing artworks from others without permission. However, there is already a pretty bad mood brewing in the community:
Destiny 2 frustrates its players – More and more Guardians wish for an ‘end for good’
