IGN has been accused of plagiarism over its Dead Cells review, with a small YouTube channel believing that the outlet “copied” his work for its written and video reviews. Boomstick Gaming, who has a following of just over 12,000 subscribers, uploaded the video ‘IGN Copied my Dead Cells Review: What do I do?’ to his channel, offering a side-by-side comparison of his own Dead Cells review and IGN’s now-deleted review. The results are very similar.
In one example offered, Boomstick Gaming calls Dead Cells’ combat system “fast, fluid, responsive, and one of the most rewarding representations of 2D combat in the entire genre.” In IGN’s review, the site’s Nintendo Editor Filip Miucin said that the Metroidvania game’s fights are “fast, fluid, responsive, and hands down one of the most gratifying representations of video game combat I’ve ever experienced.”
At the 3:07 mark in both videos, Boomstick Gaming and Filip shared almost identical conclusions. “Dead Cells figures out an intriguing way to have your roguelike and Metroidvania experience all in one, by focusing on your failures and urging you to try something new the next time,” says Boomstick Gaming in his review. This opinion is echoed point-for-point in IGN’s review, which noted: “Dead Cells strikes an almost perfect balance between Metroidvania and roguelike experiences, by focusing on your failures and urging you to experiment every time you do fail.”
IGN promptly removed its Dead Cells reviews from both its site and YouTube channel, with it now being replaced by an Editor’s Note. “As a group of writers and creators who value our own work and that of others in our field, the editorial staff of IGN takes plagiarism very seriously,” the note reads. “In light of concerns that have been raised about our Dead Cells review, we’ve removed it for the time being and are investigating.”
It is unclear what course of action IGN is planning to take, though as Miucin is a member of the site’s staff and not a freelancer, it’s an unfortunate situation for the outlet to find itself in. IGN is the largest video game website, with Alexa ranking it in the top 300 most popular sites in the world.
You can watch Boomstick Gaming’s video below:
