Microsoft Accused Of Copying 'Player Unknown's Battlegrounds' Fan Artwork in Advertisement
Microsoft has removed a "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" advertisement from its social media accounts after an artist complained about the striking similarities it had to their work. The fan accused the company of copying the concept art that they posted on Reddit for their official promotions.
When it comes to copyright infringement, it is often fans that are copying trademarks and art from huge corporations, not the other way around. However, when Reddit user Macsterr saw Microsoft's ad on their social media, he noticed it had had resemblance the concept art he posted on Reddit two months ago.
Macsterr's concept art showed a character standing in the middle of grass field which was contained in the chassis of an Xbox One console. The art was an instant hit with Redditors and was quickly was quickly upvoted.
Fast forward to December and Macsterr was surprised to see his artwork, or rather a clone of his artwork, being used by Microsoft to promote the release of "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" on the Xbox One. Seeing no credit offered, Macsterr pointed out the similarities on Reddit where it caught the attention of Xbox Live's director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb.
"Hey guys, I wanted to let you know that this is being investigated. In the meantime, our official channels have pulled down the asset in question," wrote Hryb. "I'll follow up with the OP /u/macsterr/ once I get more details."
No update has since been released by either Microsoft or Macsterr. However, it is encouraging to see that Microsoft was quick to acknowledge copyright issues and act on fan complaints by taking down its ad.
"Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" is now available on the Xbox One via the Xbox Preview Program. The game's PC version has also exited Early Access and released version 1.0 on the Steam which featured numerous gameplay and visual updates.
