EA steals from Games Workshop

[Bostur]

@EMFCRACKSHOT

Thanks for posting the pictures. I never heard about the Char B1 bis, to me it looks directly taken out of the WH40K setting. :-D

Some of the models have changed over the years. I remember when they reused the Land Raider chassis for several models, it was part of the Leman Russ set at one point. They made an effort to make some of the tanks more unique later.

The Rhino is just an M113. There isn't really much originality in imperial tank design xD

I've been around quite a few M113s myself, I'm grateful they didn't have any frontal spikes ;-) Part of what I like about the Imperial tank line is the mix of realism and fantasy. The reuse of hulls for example. The Whirlwind is a great example of believable design, using a proven APC hull for another role.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I'd say that the Char B1 looks more like the Baneblade than the Maus. It has the hull mounted cannon for one thing, and the turret being further back.

A lot of the Imperium's heavy tank designs like the Malcador and Macharius take from the british and german super heavy tanks.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

@EMFCRACKSHOT

Thanks for posting the pictures. I never heard about the Char B1 bis, to me it looks directly taken out of the WH40K setting. :-D

It wasn't actually a bad tank. Superior in many ways to the Panzerkampfwagen III but lack of an internal radio and poor tank doctrine on the part of the french means it never saw much action and never made it into tank 'pop culture'

Some of the models have changed over the years. I remember when they reused the Land Raider chassis for several models, it was part of the Leman Russ set at one point. They made an effort to make some of the tanks more unique later.

i'm glad they did, i mean lets face it, some of their early tank designs (Like the original vindicator) weren't the best looking.

I've been around quite a few M113s myself, I'm grateful they didn't have any frontal spikes ;-) Part of what I like about the Imperial tank line is the mix of realism and fantasy. The reuse of hulls for example. The Whirlwind is a great example of believable design, using a proven APC hull for another role.

I am with you 100% with the re-use of hulls etc. It fits very nicely with the STC system in 40k. I do remember seeing an M113 that had been converted into a Rhino at gamesday one year. That thing was just incredible

I'd say that the Char B1 looks more like the Baneblade than the Maus. It has the hull mounted cannon for one thing, and the turret being further back.

A lot of the Imperium's heavy tank designs like the Malcador and Macharius take from the british and german super heavy tanks.

The Maus was the only true super heavy tank that someone tried to produce. It was so massively impractical that it never would have worked. But you whack a demlisher cannon on the front of the Maus, and add on a few side sponsons and boom, Baneblade. The Char B1 is just too small and the body shape is wrong if you ask me. I do love my Baneblades though (you can never stop at just one xD)

 

[daveman247]

Hey, I liked Dawn of War! It was the last time in like 6 years where Steve Bloomers was any good.

as did i, it was more of a dig at how similar the games are

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

Since Warhammer 40K is the birthplace of the Space Marine there's hundreds of movies and games that take from them, so this doesn't bother me much. Plus they're tanks, there's only so much you can do with them.

 

[Racecarlock]

Somebody get me a hot tub of popcorn. I'm going to love watching this.

 

[SajuukKhar]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/04/13/ea-explains-copied-warhammer-40k-designs.aspx

Apparently EA explined themselves

"Games Workshop and EA are aware of the IP issues around the artwork in question, which have now been resolved. The artwork was internal EA concept art that was unintentionally released publicly.

No Warhammer 40,000 tanks have ever made an appearance in Command and Conquer Tiberium Alliances, and never will. Games Workshop and EA continue to have a strong relationship working together on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and the new free to play game Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes which just entered open beta."

 

[Torrasque]

Either someone is about to get fired ruthlessly, or GW was all "Go right ahead and use our shit!", which I highly doubt.

 

[CD-R]

I've only skimmed through this thread but I'm amazed that everyone can be this shocked by EA but can completely ignore the fact that Blizzard essentially built their company on ripping off Games Workshop.

Spoiler

Those are just two examples. There's plenty more.

 

[ChaplainOrion]

Since Warhammer 40K is the birthplace of the Space Marine there's hundreds of movies and games that take from them, so this doesn't bother me much. Plus they're tanks, there's only so much you can do with them.

Actually I think the original Space Marines are from Starship Troopers.

I've only skimmed through this thread but I'm amazed that everyone can be this shocked by EA but can completely ignore the fact that Blizzard essentially built their company on ripping off Games Workshop.

Spoiler

Those are just two examples. There's plenty more.

Actually I think it's going the other way now for Tyranids, I've heard people say that they're more Zerg like with their new units.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-12-ea-accused-of-copying-warhammer-40k-tanks-for-command-and-conquer-tiberium-alliances

It's not even funny about how they're almost the exact same thing.

So tell me how do you know that EA stole these tank designs. How do you know that they did not duno ask games workshop about it first? Oh wait thats right you dont your just jumping to conclusions.

GW is like Ebenezer Scrooge pre-ghosts-of-christmas with their IP. And besides, why would they let someone have the same tank designs when they themselves are having a game made with the same ones (Dawn of War 3)? If you were to ask any GW follower everyone will say they're very protective about their IP.

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

Since Warhammer 40K is the birthplace of the Space Marine there's hundreds of movies and games that take from them, so this doesn't bother me much. Plus they're tanks, there's only so much you can do with them.

Actually I think the original Space Marines are from Starship Troopers.

I've only skimmed through this thread but I'm amazed that everyone can be this shocked by EA but can completely ignore the fact that Blizzard essentially built their company on ripping off Games Workshop.

Spoiler

Those are just two examples. There's plenty more.

Actually I think it's going the other way now for Tyranids, I've heard people say that they're more Zerg like with their new units.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-12-ea-accused-of-copying-warhammer-40k-tanks-for-command-and-conquer-tiberium-alliances

It's not even funny about how they're almost the exact same thing.

So tell me how do you know that EA stole these tank designs. How do you know that they did not duno ask games workshop about it first? Oh wait thats right you dont your just jumping to conclusions.

GW is like Ebenezer Scrooge pre-ghosts-of-christmas with their IP. And besides, why would they let someone have the same tank designs when they themselves are having a game made with the same ones (Dawn of War 3)? If you were to ask any GW follower everyone will say they're very protective about their IP.

Nope, Warhammer 40K existed long before Starship Troopers but there are a lot of people who don't know this. StarScraft had a lot more going for it than just the designs, I give it a pass.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Nope, Warhammer 40K existed long before Starship Troopers but there are a lot of people who don't know this. StarScraft had a lot more going for it than just the designs, I give it a pass.

Starship Troopers was a book that was released in 1959.

Warhammer 40K began in the 1987.

Starship Troopers basically started the whole "power armoured soldiers fighting aliens" thing, Warhammer 40K was one of the first IP's to make it more well known and bring it to the gaming (both video and tabletop) world along with the Metroid series.

Almost everything in the Imperium is inspired by either some real life army from a particular time period or other fiction.

 

[Jodah]

This calls for the Inquisition's seal of disapproval!

Given how protective Games Workshop is over their IP, I can't imagine that they'd let something like this slide. Hell, they've shut down nonprofit, fan-created websites and game mods, so you can bet they're not going to stand for something like this.

There's only one solution to all of this

Spoiler

[HEADING=1]EXTERMINATUS![/HEADING]

Spoiler

Seems about right.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Actually I think it's going the other way now for Tyranids, I've heard people say that they're more Zerg like with their new units.

It's actually back and forth with the Tyranid Zerg debate. Blizzard did take some designs from the earlier Tyranids, and GW in turn ripped off the Zerg with their new designs

2nd Edition Carnifex (Mid 90s)

Spoiler

http://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/2008/8/1_Carnifex-01152824.jpg[/spoiler]
Ultralisk
[spoiler][img]http://oyster.ignimgs.com/ve3d/images/02/33/23351_ultralisk2_normal.jpg

Then came the Tyranid redesign in the 2000s, where this happened
Hydralisk

Spoiler

Tyranid Ravenor and Trygon

Spoiler

It's cyclical!

 

[locke]

Couldn't this just be a homage?

 

[Kopikatsu]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/04/13/ea-explains-copied-warhammer-40k-designs.aspx

Apparently EA explined themselves

"Games Workshop and EA are aware of the IP issues around the artwork in question, which have now been resolved. The artwork was internal EA concept art that was unintentionally released publicly.

No Warhammer 40,000 tanks have ever made an appearance in Command and Conquer Tiberium Alliances, and never will. Games Workshop and EA continue to have a strong relationship working together on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and the new free to play game Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes which just entered open beta."

You realize that everyone is going to ignore this post in favor of 'EA IS THE ANTICHRIST', right?

 

[SajuukKhar]

You realize that everyone is going to ignore this post in favor of 'EA IS THE ANTICHRIST', right?

I dont really care if they do or not becuase

 

[Hal10k]

Nope, Warhammer 40K existed long before Starship Troopers but there are a lot of people who don't know this. StarScraft had a lot more going for it than just the designs, I give it a pass.

Imagine an army composed of soldiers trained far beyond typical human capacity. They are each equipped with a suit of gigantic power armor with a set of jets that allows them to jump thousands of meters across enemy territory. Their typical armament includes rifles that fire explosive rounds and a handheld flamer designed for suppression. They eschew traditional landing craft when invading a planet in favor of being dropped from orbit in small pods. Their enemies include a hive-minded insectoid species whose main advantage over them is numbers. Should worst come to worst in a conflict, their navy can and will crack a planet open with the force of their weapons.

I just described the Mobile Infantry in the original Starship Troopers, written by Robert Goddamn Heinlein. It was published in the 1950s. Does anything in that description sound familiar to you?