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chinese mobile game Doula Continent: Duel of Masters of the Soul, by 37 Interactive, recently posted a promotional video that appears to be a shot-by-shot recreation of the 2019 trailer for Final Fantasy 14: The Shadow Carriers.
Final Fantasy 14: The Shadow Carriers is Square Enix’s most recent expansion pack to the critically acclaimed MMORPG, and although its trailer is over two years old, Doula Continent: Duel of Masters of the Soul seems to have sought to exploit that popularity by emulating its trailer with near-perfect precision. Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners and expert on the Asian video game market, was one of the first to discover the similarities between promotional videos.
A quick side-by-side comparison of clips from the two trailers makes it clear, even to a casual viewer, that the plagiarism was intentional. Not only were the action sequences and camera angles nearly identical, but Duel of the Masters of the Soul even copied the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy 14: The Shadow Carriers as he switched weapons to defeat his angelic foe, ultimately triumphing with a great sword shrouded in sinister magic.
Person who paid attention to Final Fantasy 14 success over the past two years might deny its meteoric rise across the globe, so it’s no surprise that other game companies may want to tap into that success. However, Continent Doula is a pan-entertainment IP. Although unknown outside of China, it is very popular there and features in many other games, animations and novels. Jackie Chan, the famous martial artist and actor, even featured in one of the commercials for the game series. Even experts like Daniel Ahmad don’t understand why 37 Interactive felt the need to copy Square Enix, given the company’s popularity, credibility and success.
This is far from the first time that Chinese video game companies have plagiarized popular games in an attempt to ride waves of success. Activision Blizzard, for example, has repeatedly battled Chinese clones of its first-person shooter, Overwatch, and against Glorious Saga, a mobile game that blatantly extracts character designs, names, and art resources straight from World of warcraft. Few of these games and businesses shared the pre-existing success of the Continent Doula IP, however, that leaves pundits and fans scratching their heads.
Although imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, it is also known as copyright infringement, and lawsuits have been filed for less egregious mimicry. That being said, there has been no official statement available from 37 Interactive or Square Enix on the similarity between the trailers, so it remains to be seen if any legal action will take place between the companies, or if Square Enix will look. on the other side.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker releases November 23 for PC, PS4, and PS5.
Source: Daniel Ahmad / Twitter
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