A recent discovery has brought to light striking similarities between icons found in The First Descendant and those in Destiny 2. The question on everyone’s mind is how did this happen?
It was revealed that a significant number of icons in The First Descendant bear a striking resemblance to icons from Destiny 2, raising eyebrows in the gaming community. Some icons have been slightly altered, while others appear to be direct replicas, sparking speculation about the origins of these assets. The puzzling situation begs the question: Did Nexon, a prominent player in the gaming industry, simply appropriate assets from its competitor Bungie without repercussions?
Following the observation of these similarities, a plausible explanation emerged. It appears that both Destiny 2 and The First Descendant may have utilized icons sourced from a website called Iconduck, known for offering free-to-use icons. While this explanation initially seemed logical, it prompted a deeper inquiry into why Bungie, a major game developer, would resort to using free artwork. This raised concerns, especially considering Destiny 2’s status as one of the leading titles in the shooter genre.
A closer examination of Iconduck’s offerings revealed a vast collection of over 274,000 ‘free open source icons and illustrations’ available for personal and commercial use. However, suspicions arose as many of these icons appeared to be replicas or derivatives of copyrighted material from other companies or games. For instance, the Destiny icons collection on Iconduck consists of 204 icons released under a Creative Commons license, including the Destiny logo, class icons, faction logos, weapon icons, and even logos of Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The description of the set as ‘a bit obscure’ seemed contradictory to the popularity and value associated with the Destiny franchise.
Furthermore, Iconduck features various Pokémon icons that are claimed to be usable for both personal and commercial projects, a statement that potentially infringes on The Pokémon Company’s intellectual property rights. This situation raises legal concerns as it may violate Bungie’s terms of use regarding the commercial use of Destiny assets.
The discovery of these questionable practices on Iconduck has sparked discussions within the gaming community about the ethical use of assets and the importance of respecting intellectual property rights. As the investigation into the origins of these shared icons continues, it serves as a reminder that transparency and integrity are crucial in the gaming industry.
