The studio behind The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax, recently faced a backlash from players after the company was found using fan art without prior permission or proper credit. The cosmetic in question, Mercymother's Body Art, is currently available for purchase through the Crown Store, but the skin is practically identical to a piece of artwork posted on Tumblr by artist Relan Daevath back in July, 2020.
Relan Daevath recently described on Tumblr how they were “a bit shocked” before wondering “should they… say to me something? Hello or we'll sell your art as an in-game skin, you are so wonderful, Relan Daevath, come and get your nothing at all, you are welcome, kisses." The artist noted that ZeniMax owns all of the intellectual property rights to the artwork, expressing their disappointment at the lack of communication from the company. "I would be flattered by such an assessment of my work if I were asked," the artist wrote on Tumblr. "But I wasn't."
The matter soon came to the attention of ZeniMax which acknowledged the problem, taking to Twitter in order to reassure the community that measures would soon be taken to address the issue. “We are aware of the situation with The Elder Scrolls Online fan artist,” the studio tweeted earlier today. “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.”
ZeniMax has not yet provided a clear explanation as to how the fan art wound up in The Elder Scrolls Online. The company has faced similar criticism in the past for its approach to fan art, this latest incident only adding more fuel to the fire. The situation has been reigniting the debate concerning the use of fan art in games and the importance of giving compensation or at least credit where credit is due. Numerous fans have expressed their support for Relan Daevath on social media platforms including Twitter and Reddit.
The artist appears to be satisfied by the response from ZeniMax, at least so far. They remain hopeful that a fair solution will be reached at some point in the very near future. “Oh, thank you all for your support,” Relan Daevath tweeted. “It means a lot for a little artist. The Elder Scrolls Online has a brilliant community.” They noted how “The Elder Scrolls Online team wrote to me saying they are ‘currently looking into this and hope to have an update for you as quickly as possible.’ Ok,” the artist remarked. “Let's wait.”