It has been over a year since sci-fi author Matthew Kelsey Martineau began his lawsuit. In October 2024, Martineau accused Bungie of stealing ideas from his WordPress blog. The claims focused on the Red Legion Faction and the Red War storyline for Destiny 2. Bungie hit a snag in their defense. They were unable to provide evidence to dispel the claims. The reason is that the Red War campaign and its assets only existed in a Destiny Content Vault.
Martineau’s Further Allegations
Martineau continued to add further allegations against Bungie. He noted that aspects of the Curse of Osiris expansion and the Destiny Grimoire Anthology originated from his work. He claimed that the Grimoire utilized similar notations to his work. However, many claimed that the notations used are common and there is no way to prove the truth of the accusation.
Bungie and Martineau Agree to Settlement on Destiny 2 Claims
Both Bungie and Martineau have come to an agreement on the claims. The case will not be going to court. A settlement conference was held between the two parties in front of Magistrate Judge North. The conference took place on November 12th, 2025. The Game Post obtained the statement, which reads as follows: “A settlement conference was conducted on this date before the undersigned Magistrate Judge. Negotiations were successful and resulted in the settlement of all claims. The Court thanks counsel and the parties for their efforts in bringing this matter to an amicable resolution.”
A second filing took place shortly after. Judge Susie Morgan ordered the dismissal of the case by all parties. The settlement has a sixty-day implementation window. During this time, either party can reopen the case if anything falls apart.
Impact on Bungie and Destiny 2
The settlement brings an end to a debacle that could have been solved if Bungie had not had the DCV. However, with the case concluding, it is even more likely that Destiny 2 players will not see the Red War campaign again. Had the lawsuit gone to trial, Bungie may have made adjustments to bring all the content back.
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