A fan artist has discovered and posted a claim that art used by The Elder Scrolls Online for newly released body markings in the Crown Store was based on their original art. The ESO team has now made an initial response to the claim after the images were shared and comparisons made between the artist's work and the in-game art.
According to the artist, relan-daevath on Tumblr, in 2020,
“I posted this fanart with Sotha, Vivec, and Almalexia. Now I see my very version…in ESO crown skin”, and provided the original art, along with a comparison with the new Crown Store options. Along with the artwork, the artist said that it was shocking to see, and wondered if they should have said something, or that they were going to sell the art as an in-game skin. The post ended with a notice that the artist has the original files and proof of creation.
The post was shared on Reddit and elsewhere, and a number of comments took the artist's side and some even made comparisons between the two, noting that they were pretty much exact copies. This happened on the weekend, so it took until Monday for The Elder Scrolls Online team to make a comment.
That comment said:“We are aware of the situation with the ESO Fan Artist. It was never our intention to include any community fan art without proper credit. We are in contact with the artist and will work with them to make sure that there is a proper resolution.”
We are aware of the situation with the ESO Fan Artist. It was never our intention to include any community fan art without proper credit. We are in contact with the artist and will work with them to make sure that there is a proper resolution.
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) April 10, 2023
There’s no indication of what this will be just yet, but they are working with the artist. For those who hadn’t been aware of the situation beforehand, the comment on social media might have been out of nowhere, especially without context. Yet, with the support of the community and the studio, it looks like this has a happy ending in the works.
