A Dutch filmmaker has accused Capcom of “stealing” a monster design from one of his films in Resident Evil Village. Richard Raaphorst, who directed the 2013 horror film Frankenstein’s Army, claimed in a recent LinkedIn post (thanks, VGC) that Capcom copied a distinctive monster from that film for a boss fight.
Minor spoilers for Resident Evil Village ahead. You have been warned.
In Frankenstein’s Army, a massive monstrosity with a propeller for a head attacks a group of soldiers, who eventually defeat the monster by blowing it up. You can see a part of that scene in the YouTube trailer below. Village has a boss fight with the monster “Sturm,” who is also a massive monstrosity with a propeller for a head who eventually explodes. Eurogamer has a clip of the full boss fight, if you’re so inclined.
Raaphorst told Eurogamer in an interview that he considers the two monsters to be “one-to-one,” and that the alleged theft constitutes “creative abuse.” Raaphorst also said that he would not receive any royalty payments because he does not own the rights to the film, but he would like a credit in the game.
“At first I felt pissed,” he told the outlet. “Then I felt proud. Now, I see all the reactions and I feel pissed again, and insulted. It’s so difficult to come up with a great design. It’s really hard to actually think about something that communicates as a cool design. It’s not just that ideas are floating around that you can grab. It’s actually hard labour. Then they just grab it and put it somewhere in the game.”
Resident Evil Village has only been out a few days, but Capcom already expects the game to turn a record profit along with Monster Hunter Rise. We also recently learned that Lady Dimitrescu was brought to life with the help of a large stick to mark the character’s eyelines. If you’re struggling with the big baddies, we’ve got some beginner tips and a full spoiler-free walkthrough to help you out, so check them out if you’re interested.
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