Bleak Faith: Forsaken has become the center of a heated discussion in the indie game scene after accusations arose that its animations resembled those from Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3. The makers of the game, an independent studio named Archangel, have repeatedly denied any asset theft, stating that they sourced animations legitimately, including purchases from the Epic Games store. This evolving dispute highlights how asset provenance is handled in digital marketplaces and the responsibilities of both developers and platforms when third-party content is involved.
Epic Games confirmed that it cannot verify every asset’s authenticity on the storefront. In the current market, sellers must guarantee they hold the proper rights to content they upload, but the sheer volume of submissions makes independent verification impractical. Epic Games clarified that they do not provide warranties to buyers for third-party content, acknowledging the inherent risk buyers face when acquiring assets through a large digital marketplace. This stance puts some of the burden on developers to ensure their assets are original or correctly licensed before deployment in a game project.
The Archangel team announced that they plan to replace non-original assets within a few days. They described the move as a necessary step to protect the game’s integrity and to reassure players and partners. While the studio hopes the case serves as a learning moment for others in the independent scene, it also underscores the challenges small teams encounter when navigating asset licensing, quality control, and the expectations of a global audience.
Observers note that this incident will likely spur more rigorous checks within indie pipelines and possibly within storefront governance. The discussions emphasize the importance of clear asset lineage, transparent licensing, and proactive community communication. As the conversation continues, the broader indie community may adopt standardized practices for asset sourcing and attribution to avoid similar disputes in the future.
In related news, Russian voice actors were recently brought in to voice characters for Hogwarts Legacy, a development that sparked its own set of conversations about casting and localization choices in big-budget games. This example illustrates how global production teams and diverse talent pools intersect with licensing and distribution rights across the industry.