Undoubtedly, one of the most important and popular video games of 2023 is Baldur’s Gate 3, the ambitious RPG developed by Larian Studios. Few saw its success coming, but many want to replicate it. A developer tried to hop on the train but chose the easiest and unethical path.
Meet Balder War: Epic Immortal RPG, a Shameless Plagiarism of Baldur’s Gate 3
A studio sought to capitalize on the popularity of the RPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe to promote its project and deceive unsuspecting players. Of course, the plagiarism is so obvious and shameless that it was unable to go unnoticed.
We're talking about Nevermore: Idle Immortal RPG, a mobile game that uses a slightly modified version of the official art of Baldur’s Gate 3 as its cover image. Despite changes in the characters' faces, it's still very easy to identify Astarion, Lae'zel, and Gale.
According to reports, the mobile game changed its name to Balder War: Epic Immortal RPG after users identified the initial plagiarism. However, shortly afterward, it completely disappeared from the Apple App Store. It is unknown if Larian Studios had anything to do with the removal.
However, the development studio was aware of the existence of this shameless Baldur’s Gate 3 clone. We say this because Michael Douse, editorial director of Larian Studios, took to his personal Twitter account to share an image of the mobile game along with a gif of Judge Judy.
Of course, the community reacted with all kinds of memes and mockery. "I love mobile games. Just when you think they can't sink any lower, they pull out a shovel," commented a fan. "That can't be legal," wrote another.
Clones and Plagiarisms Invade the Gaming Industry
Unfortunately, cases like that of Baldur’s Gate 3 are very common in the video game industry, especially in the mobile and PC ecosystem. In recent years, we have seen many games resort to plagiarism to gain a bit of popularity or deceive less knowledgeable players.
For example, a shameless clone of The Last of Us for Nintendo Switch made headlines for being an undisguised copy of Naughty Dog's work. Although it was available for a long time, it eventually disappeared from the hybrid console's eShop.
We must also remember the viral case of Kung Fu Saga, a plagiarism of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Another interesting example is War Gods Zeus of Child, a clone of God of War that even used a poorly detailed model of Kratos.
But tell us, what do you think of this situation? Do you think there are people who are genuinely deceived by these clones? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for PC and PlayStation 5, with an imminent release for Xbox Series X|S.
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