Summary
Multiversus faces backlash for reportedly using Charlie the Unicorn audio in new trailer advertising Reindog outfit.
Charlie the Unicorn creator Jason Steele calls out Warner Bros. for using his work without permission.
Warner Bros. deletes tweet after plagiarism accusations.
Warner Bros. has come under fire for reportedly plagiarizing audio and ideas from a 2008 short film, Charlie the Unicorn.
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The audio was used in a trailer for a new Reindog skin in MultiVersus, named the 'Unicorndog Variant.' This comes just a month after Warner Bros. admitted the game had "substantially" underperformed.
Multiversus Deletes Tweet After Plagiarism Accusations
Multiversus tweet
In a now-removed tweet, the official MultiVersus account said, "We're going to Candy Kingdom to get the new Unicorndog Variant, Charlie!" The tweet was accompanied by a video with three Unicorn Reindogs and audio that sounds suspiciously like that in the Charlie the Unicorn short film.
Charlie the Unicorn creator Jason Steele, aka FilmCow, quoted the original tweet saying: "MultiVersus is a game by Warner Bros, a company with an annual revenue of around 40 billion dollars. Here they are using my work, without permission, to advertise their game."
They followed up on their original tweet, saying, "We all play fast and loose with intellectual property law here, but when you’re a billion-dollar company advertising your Intellectual Property Horde game, you should at the very least get permission to use other people’s work."
Following Steele's tweets, and a swift community note, the tweet from the Multiversus Twitter account was deleted.
When you’re a billion-dollar company advertising your Intellectual Property Horde game, you should at the very least get permission to use other people’s work.
The Charlie the Unicorn short film epitomizes the early days of online videos. In a janky video, two unicorns approach a third with childlike joy, offering to take them to the newly discovered Candy Mountain. The third unicorn finally agrees to the first two's wishes, following them to Candy Mountain. There, the third unicorn is coerced into entering the Candy Mountain Cave. The video fades to black, and unexpectedly, the third unicorn has had its kidney stolen by the first two.
The film drew major popularity for its subversiveness, sitting at 46 million views on YouTube. It's no wonder Warner Bros. wanted to capitalize on its popularity; it's just a shame it reportedly didn't ask for permission.
TheGamer has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
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MultiVersus
Bringing together characters from your favourite cartoons, movie series, and more, MultiVersus is a new take on the platform fighter genre. From Batman to Bugs Bunny, Arya Stark to LeBron James, there's somebody for everyone to get their hands on.
OpenCritic Rating
Strong