Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 257 - 266: Art Resource Plagiarism Scandal

Chapter 257: Chapter 266: Art Resource Plagiarism Scandal

Even though there was nothing yet, just the mere sight of this game genre had already sparked a debate in the barrage of comments.

"Holy cow! This is amazing, looks like they’re about to shake up those traditional MMORPG manufacturers with a little bit of Nitiandang’s shock! Can’t wait!"

"As a loyal MMORPG player, I’ve long been dissatisfied with the current state of these manufacturers cutting corners, so it’s a good thing that Nitiandang is making a move!"

"With Nitiandang’s art style and a Western Fantasy background, this is going to be way too fun to even contemplate!"

"Give it up, the MMORPG genre has already cooled down. Not even Nitiandang can save it, I’m telling you!"

"Nitiandang is more suited to make independent games, I think MMORPGs might not be their thing."

"Yeah, they just don’t mesh well."

Instructor Ding didn’t express his opinion right away but fell into deep thought as he watched the comments.

It had to be said that Nitiandang games did have their own appeal. The publicity for their new game had only released one image and a game type, yet it had already triggered such intense discussion.

Obviously, both sides supporting and opposing Nitiandang had enough reason.

The proponents’ viewpoint was that Nitiandang has always been adept at Western Fantasy art themes. In terms of realistic style graphics, they’re in a league of their own. This level of quality has even surpassed those foreign powerhouses that specialized in producing Western Fantasy MMORPGs over a decade ago.

Next-gen graphics combined with Nitiandang’s top-notch art, the game world was definitely going to be stellar!

Next, it was a matter of trust in Nitiandang’s games when it came to innovation in gameplay.

Up to now, Nitiandang has released many different types of games, and nearly every game has had some innovation big or small, always managing to surprise the players.

Since these games have been released, they may have had minor issues continuously, but no major faults. Overall, they’ve all been quite enjoyable.

Even what some people saw as minor issues turned into highlights of the game.

Not to falter in any genre is a terrifying feat; it has built up very decent reputation for Nitiandang, allowing players to trust it unconditionally.

On the other hand, the opposing viewpoint was that the MMORPG genre was already dying! It wasn’t just Nitiandang, but none of the game companies could save it! It was beyond redemption!

As for why this game genre is almost done for, it really boils down to a few reasons.

Firstly, MMORPGs are inherently time-consuming games. Players these days lack the time required to spend hours organizing dozens of people to raid, to say nothing of progression and wiping for a whole month.

This type of game creates a huge divide between players who had plenty of time and those who didn’t.

And this mode is difficult to compete with some of the more fragmented time-killer games, like MOBA games or mobile games.

This is the fundamental reason for the decline of MMORPG games. It’s a natural trend, and not something that could change just because of Nitiandang.

Secondly, MMORPG games have a nearly twenty-year history. Their game mechanics have almost been completely explored.

Whether it’s raid dungeons, battlegrounds, or other in-game activities, everything has mostly been set in stone, and players are nearly fed up with them.

Developing a new MMORPG is hard to bring novelty into. If it’s just copying classic gameplay, then why wouldn’t players go play the nostalgic servers of those classic MMORPGs?

Thirdly, the current success of Nitiandang games lies mainly in single-player games, but online games are an entirely different ballgame.

Not to mention anything else, just look at Nitiandang’s lazy-dog attitude. They’ve never done any follow-up updates post-launch, adhering to an "ancestral way that cannot be changed" approach. With this sort of attitude, how can they possibly manage an MMORPG?

Neither side could persuade the other.

The proponents emphasized that it was enough to satisfy a niche group of players, but the opponents believed that for an MMORPG to be successful, it must have a large player base. Otherwise, it could significantly affect players’ gaming experience and, with fewer players, the cost of server bandwidth would be hard to recoup, making steady profits unattainable.

Instructor Ding also found it hard to judge whether this game would be successful.

On the surface, this game genre is difficult to master, and the chances of success seem slim. However, Nitiandang is nothing if not a gaming company that goes against the grain, so he couldn’t help but feel that players might have some unrealistic expectations of it.

"Alright, guys, stop fighting.

"Whether it’s a mule or a horse, pull it out for a walk and you’ll know soon enough, won’t you?

"When the game launches, just look at the number of concurrent online players and the revenue, and it will be clear whether it’s a success or not.

"There’s no need to pop the champagne or to sing mournful songs now.

"But considering that it will take more than a year before this game’s development is complete... We’re still at the stage of creating new folders, and even with Nitiandang’s efficiency, the volume of an MMORPG game speaks for itself.

"What? Holy shit! Estimated to start online testing within five months!!!

"That’s got to be fake, right? That must be an official platform typo, right?"

There was indeed no specific launch date written on this promotional image, not even in the fine print.

But on the official platform, these new games would create their own section in advance, complete with the game type, game name, game description, and an estimated launch time, among other details.

Nitiandang’s new game had also already set up its own section, only the game’s name was still to be determined, and the game description was simply a brief "An earnest endeavor from Nitiandang, stay tuned."

The only thing they provided was an anticipated launch time of late December this year!

Instructor Ding was somewhat confounded: "Could it be that Nitiandang has a hidden development team? Have they already started on the MMORPG game development beforehand? That can’t be right, there haven’t been any rumors beforehand."

"Or did Nitiandang somehow master a time compression technology, allowing them to develop an MMORPG in just five months?"

"If they had that technology, why would they even bother making games!"

Instructor Ding was truly baffled. He thought over it and the most likely scenario seemed to be that the official platform had casually set a timeline and got it wrong.

It’s also possible that it’s December of next year.

Everyone discussed it for a while, but they couldn’t come to any concrete conclusions. After all, so far, the officials had released too little information to make any clear judgments.

After all, one can’t discuss something that doesn’t yet exist.

However, just as Instructor Ding was about to return to his live stream, he saw a striking paid bullet comment.

"Holy shit! Little Ding, quick, check the forums. Someone exposed that Nitiandang used art assets from another company for their game’s promotional materials! A blatant copy-paste! That’s just outrageous!"

When one wave settles, another arises.

Just a moment ago, everyone was discussing whether the MMORPG was feasible, and in the blink of an eye, the topic had shifted to Nitiandang plagiarizing art assets from others?

The first reaction of Instructor Ding was disbelief.

"How is that possible! Don’t you know the level of Nitiandang’s artistry? Would they need to plagiarize from someone else?.

"Using someone else’s art assets in a promotional image by accident is plausible since many marketing departments often use temporary staff for these tasks. But to say that the whole image was copied? I don’t believe that; even temps wouldn’t be that outrageous!"

With a face full of confusion, Instructor Ding found the post online.

Certainly, this post had just been published not long ago, after seeing the promotional image for Nitiandang’s new game.

"The art assets for Nitiandang’s new game seem to be the work of Tianlong Digital Entertainment Company’s ’Demon World Conflict’!

"The game hasn’t been officially released yet, but about three months ago, they invited a group of players to try the early test version, and I was one of them. So I recognize these materials.

"Especially their Orc character, which is different from the traditional orc in movies and TV in appearance—having a pointed top. In addition, its physique and facial characteristics are quite distinct, making it highly recognizable.

"Didn’t Nitiandang just outright use it?

"If you don’t believe it, there are other players who went to Tianlong Digital Entertainment Company to experience ’Demon World Conflict’ early test version with me. Ask them, and they will confirm that the art assets are exactly the same!"

At first, everyone was skeptical since the story sounded absurd, much like Tianlong Digital Entertainment was just trying to cause trouble.

And who are you exactly?

Although Nitiandang is still just a medium-sized game company, it already has a lot of die-hard fans and a large number of well-recognized classic IPs.

What exactly is Tianlong Digital Entertainment Company? Would Nitiandang stoop so low as to plagiarize your art?

But upon closer inspection, everyone noticed that Nitiandang’s art assets did seem to fall short this time, not sparking the same sense of awe as before, rather mediocre.

And even more damning, there was indeed another player who had participated in the ’Demon Realm Conflict’ test, who posted a few images!

Normally, such internal tests don’t allow for screenshots or photographs, but Tianlong Digital Entertainment isn’t exactly a very professional big company and didn’t sign those million-dollar confidentiality agreements with these players, so some sneaked in their phones and took a few photos during the playthrough.

These photos were quite blurry, and since they were taken inside Tianlong Digital Entertainment, you could vaguely see the surroundings.

This actually made the images appear more authentic.

In the photos, there were close-ups of the game characters, and the Orc character was exactly as the post described, with a pointed top. Some Orcs even sported a small bun on top, which gave them a clever look.

And this character matched exactly the one in the corner of the original artwork released by Nitiandang’s game.

Ironclad evidence!

Many of Nitiandang’s critics and players enjoying the drama became instantly active. After all, direct plagiarism of art assets is a far more serious offense than copying gameplay.

Copying gameplay at most brings moral condemnation, but the law does not protect gameplay.

But art asset plagiarism? That’s a guaranteed lawsuit!

Countless players rushed to Tianlong Digital Entertainment Company’s official platform and Weibo pages to tip them off and urge them to assert their rights!

After all, Nitiandang is supposed to be a company with deep pockets, so this lawsuit could potentially turn out to be a big payday.

The efforts of the netizens quickly bore fruit, and just over half an hour later, Tianlong Digital Entertainment posted an urgent notice on their website.

"We thank all passionate players and netizens for their attention to this matter and would like to clarify the following:

"Nitiandang has acquired the full rights to ’Demon Realm Conflict’ as well as the rights to its subsequent development and operation. Therefore, they are free to use the art assets from the game.

"We appreciate everyone’s support for ’Demon Realm Conflict’ and hope you will continue to follow the future works from Tianlong Digital Entertainment Company and Nitiandang!"

This announcement left everyone dumbfounded.

Huh?

Nitiandang bought another company’s game??

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