Nexon has released a statement concerning reports that its new looter shooter The First Descendant copied art from Destiny 2.
The initial claims were published by Paul Tassi at Forbes, who noted how some of the icon art and weapons look similar between the two games. Some just look like references while others look like straight-up copies. You can see some examples in his post on X (formerly Twitter) below.
‘The First Descendant’ Is Using Barely-Changed ‘Destiny 2’ Icons via @forbes https://t.co/rGdbfKNfJX pic.twitter.com/gGKfoTkLk9
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) July 7, 2024
In a statement sent to Tassi, a Nexon spokesperson said that while the team has “deep affection” for games like Destiny 2 and used it as “inspiration,” it is working to address the highlighted similarities.
“We have taken the concerns raised seriously and decided to make adjustments to ensure that the imagery that may appear similar clearly reflects the unique identity of our game,” the statement said.
Destiny 2 and The First Descendant are pretty similar on paper. They’re both futuristic, online, free-to-play co-op looter shooters that drop tons of rewards as you play and allow you to purchase even more weapons and cosmetics through microtransactions. Destiny 2 has come under fire for some particularly egregious ones in the past, but Nexon is a publisher known for putting “pay-to-win” microtransactions in its games. It even faced a huge $9 million fine earlier this year for tweaking the odds of certain in-game item drops without telling players. Although it’s worth noting that The First Descendant appears to have more in common with Warframe than Destiny 2.
Despite some mixed reviews from critics and a “mixed” aggregate rating on Steam that stems from the microtransactions and repetitive missions, Nexon also announced on Friday that the over 10 million players have played The First Descendant in its first week thanks to its solid combat (including a grappling hook) and more character-centric gameplay.