The First Descendant accused of ripping off Destiny 2 icons

The line between inspiration and plagiarism recently became a hot topic with Palworld and its Pokémon-like creature designs, and the debate has resurfaced thanks to another live service game: The First Descendant.

Developed by Nexon, the free-to-play looter shooter is hoping to rival Warframe and Destiny 2 with its online co-op action. Since it debuted last week, however, some have highlighted a number of very specific similarities to Bungie’s successful shooter.

The most striking is the design of many in-game icons in the two games and, while not an exact copy, the resemblance will certainly raise a few eyebrows.

As reported by Forbes, many of the icons in The First Descendant appear to emulate the same basic design of those from Destiny 2, albeit with some tweaks. While it’s unclear if they were directly copied, the amount of similar icons certainly doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

Some players have also highlighted similarities in the weapons, namely the barrel design between the Different Dream and Sleeper Simulant guns. Even the names share a connection, which may be an attempt to write it off as a homage.

The First Descendant hasn’t exactly been shy about its aesthetic similarities to Destiny 2. An early piece of art even shows a floating ice orb which looks a lot like a Ghost from Destiny, so it’s clear the developers are very much leaning into Bungie’s formula.

If the threats of legal action between Palworld and The Pokémon Company amounted to nothing, it’s likely nothing will come of this either – although it’ll be interesting to see if the icons are changed now that the issue’s been raised.

The bigger question might be whether The First Descendant has enough legs to be considered a rival to Destiny 2. It’s had a strong start though, hitting a 264,860 player peak on Steam within the past 24 hours, but as we’ve seen many times this year that may not last.