Published on: 21/03/2022

Dr Disrespect’s studio ‘accidentally’ uses images from Cyberpunk 2077

Video Screenshot, tags: dr cyberpunk - Youtube

Midnight Society, a video game studio co-founded by popular streamer and video game persona, Dr Disrespect, has been accused of stealing content from CD Projekt RED’s 2013 teaser trailer of Cyberpunk 2077.

The allegation by fans came not long after the studio has announced early access pass called “Founders Pass” worth $50 for anyone interested to partake in the development, access to early game builds and NFTs among others. This far, reportedly the project has been given the codename “Project Moon”.

While there is not much known about the upcoming triple-A title from Dr Disrespect and co., the studio has already promoted the game’s digital tokens ahead of development uncertainty.

As many are expecting details about the project, criticisms are being delivered instead following the studio’s art theft found on Midnight Society’s website where one of the images is taken directly from the Cyberpunk 2077 teaser trailer.

Midnight Society, art theft

In responding to the accusations, the image or a frame in question has been removed. Moreover, the discovery of Cyberpunk 2077 on Midnight Society’s website led many to believe Dr Disrespect’s studio is set to collaborate with CD Projekt RED.

This speculation is also due to Midnight Society’s upcoming project sharing a similar theme and looks to Cyberpunk 2077, where both games are set in a cyberpunk environment in a distant future. Midnight Society’s website reads: “Night has fallen in The City – it’s time to choose your path and claim your place in The Existence”.

With this knowledge, crypto and NFT enthusiasts were more than hyped that Midnight Society could be collaborating with CD Projekt RED.

On the other hand, there are a majority of people accusing Disrespect’s studio of art theft. The discussion was brought by Twitter user @inhuman who had noticed the image and posted two screenshots of side-by-side comparison with a caption that reads: “The first frame on the website for Dr Disrespect’s new NFT game is from the Cyberpunk 2077 teaser trailer”.

Following this and with many speculations given to the studio, one of the co-founders, gaming industry veteran Robert Bowling has confirmed in a tweet replying to @inhuman, stating that was an accident caused by one of the web engineers mistakenly uploaded the incorrect image, that is the image from Cyberpunk 2077 release trailer.

“This has nothing to do with Cyberpunk. One of our web engineers pushed an optimization that was meant to change to fallback image for the video on the website and accidentally uploaded the incorrect image (this frame from the Cyberpunk trailer),” Bowling tweeted.

Some, perhaps the majority who read Bowling’s tweet are not buying with his statement. People are calling out the studio for blaming the web engineer and should improve leadership instead.

Suspicions grow on Dr Disrespect

Whether this is a blatant case of art theft or simply a human error remains to be unknown. As for Dr. Disrespect, the video game streamer is rather famous in the game development scene, having himself involved with the Call of Duty franchise prior to him donning the Dr Disrespect mantle persona.

“Listen, in regards to NFTs, you don’t have to have NFTs to play the game. It doesn’t change your experience of the game once it releases and it will continue to be free-to-play,” Dr Disrespect said.

With him getting banned from streaming platform Twitch for unknown reasons, suspicion grew on him following Midnight Society NFTs and the streamer joining the NFT bandwagon. Both NFTs scandal and stealing other game assets might have been an accident which also could have affected the upcoming project reception.

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