They Barely Even Tried To Hide It
Chinese gaming monolith Tencent got in slightly hot water after an Instagram model discovered her likeness in the promotional material for Ring of Elysium. This surprise modeling gig was completely uncredited, posing a problem for the eventual ruler of the entire games industry.
The model, Mei Yan, has a healthy following and a significant body of work. It came as a shock, to see her likeness being so boldly appropriated for in-game advertising and assets. The photo above shows Yan and her doppleganger, Lynn. You’d be forgiven for failing to notice a difference. The official video was taken down, though the evidence of Tencent’s transgressions is still widely available.
On top of that, the character skin and the associated accessories are still very much in the game. This is Tencent, after all. They’re a tiny bit too big to be proper intimidated by something like copyright infringement. Although perhaps we’ll see the skin and everything else removed from the game in time. Massive corporation or not, it doesn’t pay to get tangled up in legal nonsense, regardless of your size. On a side note, it really weirds me out seeing a company this enormous go mostly unnoticed by the media. These guys more or less own videogames. Look it up if you’re ever curious!