League of Legends fans are up in arms after accusing Riot Games of copying fan art for a new set of Wild Rift icons. In the upcoming Patch 4.4, Riot will introduce new champion icons, including ones featuring Zyra and Evelynn. However, some community members quickly noticed that the artwork used in these icons appears to be taken from existing fan art, with only minor alterations made before being sold in the game.
One Twitter user, Ziyan Lin, shared a comparison of the alleged plagiarized fan art and the icons, raising questions about their authenticity. Another community member claimed that the original artists were not consulted or given permission for their art to be used as official icons. They reportedly reached out to Riot Games to address the issue.
This is not the first time Riot has faced accusations of using fan art without proper consent. In 2021, the company was accused of incorporating art from various artists into a League emote called “Playful Pup.” The matter was eventually resolved by the developers, and former game director Jonathan “Bellissimoh” Belliss acknowledged the mistake. He explained that Riot collaborates with external artists when creating icons, which may lead to instances where unauthorized art is mistakenly used.
It is possible that some artists attempt to pass off others’ work as their own and submit it to Riot. As of now, Riot Games has not responded to the allegations, but fans can expect a statement and potential removal of the icons in question.
Patch 4.4 is set to be released on Wild Rift’s live servers on Wednesday, October 25th.
Source: DOTESPORTS
