Nintendo says Wiki characters resemble Wind Waker's characters; Webzen says the game is customizable.
Webzen, the South Korean publisher of PC-based online games like MU Online and the upcoming SUN: Soul of the Ultimate Nation, is planning to release a new online title, Wiki, this year. The trouble is, Nintendo executives said last week that some of Wiki's characters look uncomfortably like those from Nintendo's 2003 hit release, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
However, the Tokyo game giant isn't taking action yet, just making it's concerns known. According to Australia-based news outlet Asia Pulse, Nintendo offered a statement through its South Korean distributor, Daiwon C.I., saying "We will take action when we decide such action is needed."
In the statement, Nintendo took a firm stance in defense of its well-known game line. "Nintendo's intellectual property must be protected and we can't stand idly by the plagiarism claim related to Webzen's new game."
Officials at Webzen told Asia Pulse that it's too early to cry foul on Wiki's design, since it's still in the early development phase. In an interview with Korean newspaper JoonAng Daily, Webzen said that Wiki's hero can be customized with different clothes, features, and hairstyles. "The number of variables is in the tens of thousands," Webzen spokesman Choi Hyun-woo said. He added that a screenshot from the game, unveiled at a recent event, was only a sample of the possibilities.
If Nintendo pursues legal action, it wouldn't be the first time a major corporation sued a South Korean online-game publisher for copyright infringement. Last November, Marvel filed suit against NCsoft, saying its MMORPG City of Heroes allows players to design characters that closely resemble Marvel stars such as Wolverine and The Hulk.
Comparison pics
What do you think about this? I can certainly see a resemblance between the games. But is it enough to warrant a lawsuit, especially as the character's are supposed to be customizable? The only real similarity (besides the style, but Nintendo hardly invented that anyway. There were manga that looked like that way before tWW; I think it's called chibi) is the heads of the "Link" characters, and in Wind Waker, most of the time he did not have those clothes. If it's anything, I'd think it's more of a homage and not a plagiarisation.
If they indeed consider to sue them because of their choice of style for the game, I think Nintendo should seriously think through what they are doing. All games borrow stuff from other games, that's how it works. Just think what would have happened if iD Software would have decided to sue 3D Realms for making Duke Nukem look like their Doom and Wolfenstein too much. They'd basically get exclusive rights on the FPS-market. Not good for other developers, and most certainly not good for gamers.
Also, you might want to check out Zelda Universe, where I first found this (though I had to find the sources myself). I think some of the comments made by readers are quite funny
+http://www.zeldauniverse.net/content/view/320/1/
And I thought I was a fanboy. Wow!
I especially like this:
Gah...I hate people who do stuff like that, even if it's the slightest thing. (I got really upset when one game had a blonde girl in a pink and purple dress playing an ocarina. I feel that the majestic ocarina is for Zelda games ONLY.)
to Nintendo.