An artist has claimed that their art was stolen and used in The Elder Scrolls Online as a cosmetic item. The artist spread the word on this alleged theft and got the attention of many, including the developers of The Elder Scrolls Online.The Elder Scrolls Online, developed by ZeniMax Online Studios, is an MMORPG based on The Elder Scrolls franchise. It launched in 2014 to a mixed reception from critics and fans, but the release of future expansions helped reinvigorate the title. The 2017 Morrowind expansion in particular has been regarded as the expansion that saved The Elder Scrolls Online, similar to Destiny: The Taken King or The Lord of the Rings Online: Before the Shadow. As is typical for MMOs, ESO offers many cosmetics that can be earned through gameplay or purchased via microtransactions using Crowns, the game's premium currency. An artist who goes by Relan Daevath on Twitter has asserted that one of the premium skins available in ESO is based on stolen artwork that they originally made. They explain that the art was originally posted on their Tumblr account in July 2020 and showed the three members of The Tribunal, the ruling gods of Morrowind in the world of The Elder Scrolls. A skin titled "Mercymother's Body Art" appears to be directly taken from Relan Daevath's artwork. Although the skin is named after one of the nicknames of Tribunal member Almalexia, the artwork itself is actually a depiction of Sotha Sil from The Elder Scrolls. Relan Daevath spread the word of this alleged art theft on Twitter and Tumblr, where it was then shared on the ESO subreddit and got the attention of the broader fanbase.
A follow-up tweet from Relan Daevath stated that they had been contacted by the ESO team and were told that they would be updated on the situation soon. ZeniMax Online later made its own statement on Twitter which confirmed that it was in contact with the artist and was working to find "a proper resolution." This would not be the first time in recent memory that this game's community has made its voice heard, as was seen with the negative reaction to the free Guar pet after The Elder Scrolls Online's Firesong DLC launched.
The Elder Scrolls Online community has recently expressed its displeasure about a couple of things, though this current situation looks like it will be resolved soon. With some recent developments suggesting that ZeniMax Online may be working on a new game, the amount of attention given to ESO may be further called into question by some players.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.