Bungie has announced that it will compensate and credit Tofu Rabbit, a fan artist, after it was discovered that the real-life, dart-blasting Nerf version of the Ace of Spades blaster from Destiny 2 stole her nine-year-old artwork. The game company made the decision after a rapid investigation.
The case of copying is incredibly clear-cut, with details from Tofu’s fan art, down to the brush strokes, being copied onto the blaster. This is despite Bungie owning the original underlying blaster design. Tofu was able to show that her artwork was copied, and Bungie has agreed to make it right.
The plagiarism wasn’t the only controversy surrounding the new Nerf blaster. To order the replica of Cayde’s Ace of Spades handcannon, players must first unlock the Legend status in the game, which takes a significant amount of grinding.
This isn’t the first time that Bungie or a contractor has plagiarized Destiny fan art. However, the company has compensated and credited some previous fan artists after being called out.
Bungie’s Response
Bungie has been polite and encouraging in private messages with Tofu, saying that they were hopeful the situation could be resolved soon. The company has also pledged to fix the grinding issue that players must go through to unlock the Legend status.
A Missed Opportunity
The Nerf blaster looks like one of the best licensed blasters Hasbro has made, with a six-shot revolver and removable cylinders. However, the grinding issue and plagiarism controversy have overshadowed its release.