An artist who goes by the name @tofu_rabbit on X says that the look of Nerf’s Ace of Spades handgun featured in Bungie’s Destiny game comes from artwork he was commissioned to do nearly a decade ago.
Nerf and Bungie announced their latest foam dart gun collaboration on Tuesday, featuring a limited edition version of Cayde’s iconic “Ace of Spades” blaster from Destiny 2 that’s available to purchase on Bungie’s online store. The following morning, @tofu_rabbit posted an image comparing Nerf’s latest foam dart launcher to a piece of art he made in 2015 and posted to his DeviantArt page based on the same gun from the game.
The artists pointed out that 11 parts and designs on the Nerf gun are exact matches to their original design, including the upside-down spade on the handle, the same cracks in the paint strip on the magazine, and the paisley pattern engraved just in front of the trigger. They claim that the Nerf gun design is a “direct imitation” of a design they commissioned in 2015, adding that the similarities are more than “likeness” or “coincidence.”
Bungie released a statement on its official Destiny 2 X page saying it’s investigating the artist’s claims and will “provide more details about what next steps we will take once we have gathered more information. ” It has also reached out to Nerf’s parent company, Hasbro, for comment.
