Earlier this week, a Destiny 2 DLC cutscene likely resolved a confusing story beat, but the way it delivered that major story moment has left fans with mixed reactions.
Reports of artist plagiarism and worries about the seasonality of the DLC have soured the initial reception of this crucial Destiny 2 story moment. The cutscene, part of the Season of the Nebula DLC, explains the origin of the main villain, and it might be one of the most significant story beats Bungie has ever pulled off. That’s why it’s so strange that such a big reveal was delivered as part of a seasonal update, one that players will eventually remove.
Plagiarism Accusations
Earlier this week, the cutscene went live, and it was praised for its epic and high-stakes tone. However, some players felt uneasy about the delivery method, considering that such an important story beat will eventually be removed from most players’ libraries. In a separate but still relevant development, accusations of Destiny 2 art plagiarism arose when an artist pointed out their similarities to an image in the cutscene.
Artist Julian Faylona, known for their Destiny 2 fanart, tweeted out their piece, which features a character that resembles Osiris. However, they also discovered that their artwork was used as a reference for part of the cutscene, therefore leading to their art being used without their permission. After multiple tweets and media coverage from outlets like PC Game Spotlight and Rolling Stone, Bungie responded.
“On investigation, we confirmed that an external vendor we engaged to produce art for the Season of the Nebula unintentionally used your art as a reference and did not properly credit you for the work,” Bungie writes. “This is unacceptable and contrary to our policies. We will take steps to ensure that your work is correctly credited and will be compensating you for your creative contributions. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
The community has had a varied reaction, with some taking the opportunity to condemn any instance of plagiarism while also expressing anger at whoever stole the artist’s work.
However, other players feel differently, instead expressing a feeling that the work should be celebrated, since it’s being seen by a large audience. Others have pointed out the relative unlikelihood of the community ever finding the piece, since it was never on the multiplayer-focused game’s roadmap to begin with.
Mixed Reactions and Bungie’s Troubled Past
Regardless of how it arrived, though, the important story beat has mixed reactions because of Bungie’s troubled past with story content. Endgame mechanics and Crucible changes don’t exactly lend themselves to well-told six-act epics, which is partially why fans reacted so viscerally when Bungie announced that such an important story beat would arrive as part of a seasonal update.
Faylona, for their part, expressed surprise and excitement at their work appearing in the cutscene. “I have no clue how this even happened but my art was featured in the latest Destiny 2 season 8 trailer!” they tweet. “I’m absolutely speechless, I cannot believe this.. this is exactly the kind of thing I look forward to. A big surprise that I can share with everyone.”
The artist also offers perspective on why they think their art was selected. “I honestly think whoever picked my artwork likely saw it without much context and thought it was Bungie’s official art,” they say. “It’s kind of flattering to be featured haha.”
For their part, Bungie has handled the situation well, responding immediately and committing to giving Faylona credit. However, the initial mistake has nonetheless left a sour aftertaste for some fans, considering how crucial the story beat was to the cutscene. Following the controversy surrounding Destiny 2’s previous DLC, Guardians also expresses a distrust for any cutscenes or lore updates that might seek to further the story in a meaningful way.
Unfortunately, this misunderstanding has soured everyone’s reception of a crucial part of the DLC for the time being, and some fans have taken to social media to express feelings of distrust towards Bungie considering recent history. Others would have been much more charitable if the error hadn’t occurred in the first place, but it doesn’t necessarily ruin the cutscene for them.
Regardless of your reception to the cutscene, Faylona expresses happiness at the inclusion, commenting that they see it as a compliment. It might be a long story but, just like any fan art they creates, they’re proud to see their creations out in the wild.
They also see the whole sdea as an inadvertent, but welcome compliment.
