League of Legends accused of plagiarizing fan art for new Wild Rift icons
Plagiarism is a serious offense in the art world, and it seems that even big gaming companies can fall into this trap. Recent allegations have surfaced against Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, claiming that they copied some fan art for their new batch of Wild Rift icons.
In the upcoming Patch 4.4 of Wild Rift, Riot Games will be introducing new champion icons for players. However, some members of the community quickly recognized that the art used in these icons bears a striking resemblance to existing fan art. They allege that Riot Games took the original artwork, made some changes, and are now selling it in the game.
One member of the community even reached out to the original artists, who confirmed that they had not given their consent for their art to be used as official icons in the game. They reportedly contacted Riot Games to discuss a possible solution. This is not the first time Riot Games has faced accusations of using fan art without permission in their game assets.
Previous instances of using unauthorized fan art
In 2021, Riot Games was accused of using art from multiple artists to create the “Playful Pup” emote in League of Legends. The issue was eventually resolved by the developers, and former game director Jonathan “Bellissimoh” Belliss acknowledged the mistake. He admitted that Riot Games collaborates with external artists for creating icons.
It is possible that some artists try to pass off others’ work as their own and submit it to Riot Games. The company has not yet responded to these recent allegations, but fans are anticipating an official statement and the potential removal of the controversial icons.
The release of Patch 4.4 on Wild Rift’s live servers is scheduled for today, Wednesday, Oct. 25.
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