Hi-Rez Studios got into an awkward situation: in the promo materials of its new mobile game Paladins Strike, users noticed a fragment of art from Blizzard’s heroic Overwatch shooter. At the same time, Hi-Rez Studios’ flagship title — heroic shooter Paladins — openly imitates the style and gameplay of Overwatch.
Users of the social platform Reddit drew attention to the borrowing of Blizzard materials in the Paladin Strike advertisement.
Comparison of Paladins Strike promo and Overwatch art, Reddit
The Paladins Strike promo depicts one of the heroes of the game against the background of an evening metropolis.
The background of the advertisement was copied from the art dedicated to one of the Overwatch game locations — Lijiang Tower.
The art director of Hi-Rez explained that the studio did not infringe on Blizzard’s intellectual property, but only accepted a job from a foreign contractor and did not notice a catch in it. He promised that the company would immediately sort out this situation.
Paladins Strike is a MOBA based on the Paladins shooter. It launched in softlonch on iOS and Android on October 26 last year. The release of Paladins Strike is scheduled for this year.
Paladins is one of the most successful projects inspired by the success of Overwatch. The audience of Hi-Rez Studios’ free-to-play shooter on all platforms is more than 25 million people.
Also on the topic: