The developers of The First Descendant, NEXON, have responded to allegations of plagiarism after reports surfaced pointing to extreme similarities between UI icons in the third-person shooter and Destiny 2.
NEXON has confirmed that they will work on updating the logos to ensure that the "imagery reflects the unique identity" of The First Descendant.
Forbes initially reported that a variety of TFD icons looked extremely similar to a few ones spotted in Destiny 2. Both players and content creators took to social media to continuously expand the list of icons that carried an uncanny resemblance.
In a statement responding directly to the Forbes article, NEXON mentioned that Destiny 2 is highly respected within the team and is seen as one of the pillars of the looter shooter genre, revealing that Bungie's FPS serves as a big inspiration for The First Descendant.
"We [NEXON] have taken 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."
NEXON didn't directly apologize for essentially ripping off Destiny 2's visual iconography. The decision to change the UI icons appears to be the right call to avoid potential issues with Bungie. However, the lack of direct communication about the issue has led fans to believe it was a case of plagiarism, rather than a possible tribute to one of the most popular looter shooters in the gaming industry.
It's worth pointing out a common misconception regarding the UI icons that NEXON copied as it was alleged these were free assets initially thought to have been owned by IconDuck, but this was proven to be incorrect. Tom Chapman, the creator of WhereIsXur, confirmed that he did not give permission to the website to host icons that he had ripped for personal use on third-party companion apps for Destiny 2.
One thing is obvious: The First Descendant was undeniably inspired by Destiny 2, perhaps too much. For more content, check out how to get Strange Coin to use when Xur rolls around.