Bungie’s Legal Challenges Due to Destiny 2’s Content Vaulting

Man, Bungie’s been all over the news lately. First, it was all about this new game, Marathon, they got cookin’ for 2025. Heard there’s been a lot of chatter about that, but now they’ve got another thing that’s got people’s tongues wagging.

So, here’s the scoop – Bungie’s tangled up in some legal mess. This guy, Matthew Kelsey Martineau, who also goes by Caspar Cole, is claiming they ripped off his sci-fi story for Destiny 2’s Red War campaign. Crazy, right? He says his work was just chilling on his WordPress blog while Bungie was crafting their game. Filed this lawsuit thingy last October, and Bungie’s been trying to shake it off like a bad dream. But no dice, ’cause the court just tossed their dismissal request out the window.

Judge Susie Morgan laid it all out – apparently, Bungie doesn’t even have the old builds of the Red War or Curse of Osiris expansions anymore. I guess they tossed it all into some “Destiny Content Vault” deal to keep their game from blowing up with too much data. Content vaulting, is that even a thing? Anyway, that’s a side story. Turns out YouTube vids and wiki entries weren’t cutting it as evidence. Go figure.

In this wild ride, Bungie thought those YouTube playthroughs would seal the deal. But nope! The court was having none of it. They’re like, “Hey, these aren’t enough for a proper side-by-side comparison.” And besides, third-party stuff? Not gonna fly in court. Judge Morgan’s decision was like, “Nah, we’re not playing this dismissal game. We need the real deal, not some fan-made content.”

Now, here’s the kicker – even if you think Bungie could cobble the Red War and Osiris content back together behind closed doors, turns out they can’t. They straight-up admitted that the old stuff’s just not jiving with Destiny 2 as it stands today. Like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, I guess.

So, now Martineau’s case is plowing forward. The court’s like, “Okay, there’s enough meat on these bones for copyright infringement.” This ain’t just a game of spot-the-difference; it’s getting real.

Oh, and while we’re talking lawsuits, let me say, when I first heard about this drama, I kinda shrugged. The guy’s got claims about the Red Legion, and yeah, maybe there’s some fire where the smoke’s coming from. But comparing Destiny’s floating orb thingy, the Traveler, to something in orbit in his story? I dunno, that’s a classic sci-fi trope if you ask me.

Anyway, I thought this would blow over soon, but nah, it’s snowballing. Bungie’s own moves to tuck away old content might’ve just boomeranged on them. Whether this Content Vault gig was a good call or not, well, that’s a debate for another day. Right now, it’s biting them in the court battle.

I’m still betting Bungie’s walking away in the end, but this twist? It’s got me hooked on what happens next. Feels a bit like life imitating art, or maybe just a big ol’ plot twist. We’ll just have to grab the popcorn and watch it unfold.