You know what's funny about anything that becomes immensely popular? The fact that it's practically a law where if it gains attraction, there will be a knockoff of it. That includes books, shows, movies, video games, and of course, anime and manga.
In this case, it seems that the hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series had met the inevitable. On April 24, a South Korean company called Ten Nine attempted to launch an online game where you slay demons, loosely translated titled Sword of Demon Slaughter, that blatantly copies its visuals from the popular manga/anime. The visuals are so similar you'd think that this was some sort of official Demon Slayer game with a different art style is all.
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| Sword of Demon Slaughter promotional art |
Just a mere 5 days later on the 29th however, the game studio announced that the game had shut down. In-game purchases began to be refunded to customers on the 27th around 8pm JST. The company made an official apology.
We apologize for the inconvenience to many people because of our immaturity. We have come to the conclusion that the operation cannot be continued after careful consideration.
The reasoning behind the decision isn't directly stated, but based upon the language of the statement and the distinctive similarities between the intellectual properties, it wouldn't be too hard to take a guess as to why.
You can take a look at some key visuals and gameplay below to compare for yourself.
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| Top: Demon Slayer. Bottom: South Korean game |
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| Left: South Korean game. Right: Demon Slayer |
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| Left: South Korean game. Right: Demon Slayer |
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某ゲームのスクリーン録画です
— ⌬めぶ⌬@10/04長島スパコスステージ出演！ (@MegaelilyCosp) April 26, 2020
スマホが低スペックなので音ズレ起こってますがご容赦を
オート戦闘に加えて、手動でキャラクターのスキルを発動していきます
主人公は水の呼k……水属性の使い手のようですね！
余談ですが、スキルによってはボイスが日本語でした（笑）#鬼殺の剣 pic.twitter.com/kB1wnQgLyi
【盗作疑惑】韓国ゲーム会社のRPG「鬼殺の剣」、日本の「鬼滅の刃」のパクリでは？との声に「実際にプレイしてみた」https://t.co/E7WxyoJ9iW#鬼殺の剣 #鬼滅の刃 pic.twitter.com/iuJca5ZP5l
— アプリゲーム情報局シーサー (@SIIESAAATV) April 26, 2020
【#鬼滅の刃】韓国パクリゲーム「#鬼殺の剣」１日プレイしてみた【サービス終了】【#血風剣戟ロワイアル】
— アプリゲーム情報局シーサー (@SIIESAAATV) April 29, 2020
完全フル動画はこちら↓https://t.co/BTi3jKmGqv pic.twitter.com/RuHjUwvgOp
via Kotaku and livedoor News