Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers Trailer Plagiarized by Chinese Mobile Game

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Chinese mobile game Doula Continent: Soul Master Duel, by 37 Interactive, recently put out a promotional video that appears to be a shot-for-shot re-creation of the 2019 trailer for Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers.

Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers is Square Enix's most recent expansion pack of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG, and though its trailer is over two years old, Doula Continent: Soul Master Duel seems to have sought to tap into that popularity by emulating its trailer with nearly perfect precision. Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at Niko Partners and expert on the Asian video game market, was one of the first to discover the similarities between the promotional videos.

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A quick side-by-side comparison of the excerpts from the two trailers makes it obvious to even a casual viewer that the plagiarism was intentional. Not only were the action sequences and camera angles nearly identical, but Soul Master Duel even copied the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers as he swapped between weapons to defeat his angelic foe, finally triumphing with a great sword enshrouded in sinister-looking magic.

No one who has paid any attention to Final Fantasy 14's success in the past couple of years could deny its meteoric rise to prominence across the globe, so it is not surprising that other game companies might want to tap into that success. However, Doula Continent is a pan-entertainment IP. Though it's unknown outside of China, it is quite popular within it, and it's featured in multiple other games, animations, and novels. Jackie Chan, the famous martial artist and actor, was even featured in one of the ads for the game series. Even experts like Daniel Ahmad don't understand why 37 Interactive felt the need to copy Square Enix, given the company's popularity, credibility, and success.

This is far from the first time Chinese game companies have plagiarized popular games in an attempt to ride the waves of success. Activision Blizzard, for example, has struggled on multiple occasions against Chinese clones of its first-person shooter, Overwatch, and against Glorious Saga, a mobile game that blatantly pulled character designs, names, and art assets directly from World of Warcraft. Few of these games and companies shared the pre-existing success of the Doula Continent IP, however, which is leaving experts and fans alike scratching their heads.

While it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it is also known as copyright infringement, and lawsuits have been filed over less blatant mimicry. That being said, there have been no official statements available by either 37 Interactive or Square Enix on the similarity between the trailers, so it remains to be seen if legal action will occur between the companies, or if Square Enix will look the other way.

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker releases on November 23 for PC, PS4, and PS5.

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