May 29 (News On Japan) –
A pirate-themed recreation titled “Pirates Anime Quest” has stirred controversy after it appeared on Nintendo’s on-line retailer, with customers mentioning its uncanny resemblance to characters from the wildly common anime collection One Piece.
The recreation was launched within the lead-up to the launch of Nintendo’s new console, the Nintendo Switch 2, scheduled for launch subsequent week. With heavy anti-scalping measures in place, the brand new console had already drawn vital consideration. It was throughout this promotional window that “Pirates Anime Quest,” additionally appropriate with the upcoming Switch 2, quietly made its debut on the shop.
However, it shortly drew criticism. Characters featured beside the sport’s title brand bore placing similarities to One Piece characters, together with iconic traits like a chest scar within the form of an “X,” blond hair, and spiral-patterned eyebrows.
Social media was fast to react. Comments included: “I was completely fooled—I thought it was One Piece,” and “Is this a real pirate copy?”
Adding to the confusion, the sport’s subtitle reads “The Adventure of One Boy and the Island’s Piece,” a phrase that, when shortened, might be learn as “One Piece.”
Nintendo responded by confirming that gross sales of the sport had already been suspended. “We have confirmed that this product has been removed from sale. It will also gradually disappear from customers’ displays,” the corporate said. However, Nintendo declined to touch upon the precise causes or course of behind the suspension.
Legal professional Kotaro Maeno of City Lights Law Office weighed in, saying, “The game includes features so closely resembling those characters—like the scar or facial structure—that it’s hard not to make the association. But on the other hand, with a title like ‘One Boy and the Island’s Piece,’ it becomes more legally ambiguous and harder to judge definitively.”
Source: FNN