2/2 Our deepest apologies. This does NOT represent our values, and we are working quickly to correct this. We renounce hate in all forms. — Bungie (@Bungie) September 12, 2017

On Bungie's website, the company has now offered a bit of explanation as to how the symbol was worked into the armor design and what it's now doing to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. As for how it happened, Bungie says that graphic designers often draw from real world art, iconography and other design elements. In this case, a question was raised by Bungie staff as to whether the team was ok with the design looking similar to the "original, innocuous 'kek' internet meme" but its similarities with the Kekistan flag -- a hate symbol -- weren't noticed or discussed. "The more contemporary, vile derivation that has been repurposed by hate groups was not surfaced through this process, and therefore, the armor was approved for ship," said Bungie in a post.

Bungie has removed the symbols from the armor in question and will be removing them from the UI icon and preview screens next week. The company says it's also looking into how it can more thoroughly vet content in the future. "We aren't asking you for the benefit of the doubt. We know we are judged by our actions," it said.