The free-to-play shooter The First Descendant has come under fire for allegedly using icons that closely resemble those from Destiny 2. The issue was first brought to light by writer Paul Tassi, who compiled a series of icons from The First Descendant and compared them to similar icon art in Destiny 2. An image created by Tassi seems to show that several icons share similar shapes and design elements to those used in Destiny 2.
While the icons don’t usually correspond to similar powers in the respective games, the similarities are clear. The Forbes article later points out design similarities between several weapons; however, these are less obvious than the icons, which appear to draw heavily from Bungie’s shooter. Although The First Descendant does not seem to directly reuse any of Bungie’s art, the inspiration is undeniable, and players continue to discover more examples.
Considering that games in the same genre often share design tropes and given that The First Descendant is a mix of influences from several games like Warframe and Destiny, the similarities are perhaps not entirely surprising. However, if more evidence of direct copying emerges, Nexon may be forced to make changes to the game’s art. The First Descendant saw impressive player numbers during its opening days but faced criticism regarding its aggressive microtransactions and the extensive grind required for free-to-play players.
It was recently discovered that many icons in Nexon’s game, The First Descendant, are similar to those in Destiny 2. These similarities go beyond mere coincidence, raising questions about how and why these assets were used. Initially, it was thought both games might be sourcing icons from Iconduck, a site offering free-to-use icons and illustrations.
This theory seemed reasonable until it raised further questions about why Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, would use free artwork.
Icon similarities spark controversy.
Given the game’s huge success and resources, this seemed doubtful.
Further investigation reveals that Iconduck hosts a large collection of “free open source icons and illustrations”—nearly 274,000—available for personal and commercial use. However, many icons appear to be taken from other games and companies. For example, the Destiny icon set on Iconduck includes class icons, faction logos, weapon icons, and even Microsoft Windows logos, which are not intended for free commercial use.
Destiny 2’s icon set on Iconduck is credited to Tom Chapman, who confirmed that most of these icons were not his original designs but were actually assets created by Bungie. Chapman expressed his frustration on Twitter, emphasizing that while he may have recreated some icons, he does not endorse their use in this way. The situation raises important questions about Nexon’s due diligence.
Did Nexon use these icons believing they had permission, given Iconduck’s claims? Or did the icons make it into the game through some other oversight? Moreover, it’s puzzling why a major company like Nexon, with ample resources, would resort to using free artwork.
The use of these icons in The First Descendant points to a larger issue within the game development community: the reliability of free and open-source resources on the Internet. This incident serves as a warning for developers to vet free assets to avoid potential legal complications thoroughly. The details remain unclear, and Nexon, Bungie, and Iconduck have been contacted for comments.
Updates will follow as more information becomes available.
