Tower of Saviors AI-Generated Promo Plagiarizes Wuthering Waves Character
Tower of Saviors' promotional video for new character Genghis Khan reportedly plagiarised animation sequences from Wuthering Waves character Feixue using AI-assisted generation, with unedited reflections of the original character visible in the frame. Developer Madhead acknowledged the issue, removed the video, and announced governance reforms for future AI-assisted content production.
What happened
Tower of Saviors released a promotional video for new character Genghis Khan that resembled the ability animation of Wuthering Waves character Feixue. Players identified near-identical fight choreography and visual effects between the two characters' attacks.
Upon frame-by-frame analysis, the video contained unedited reflections of Feixue (a female character) visible in the blade and glass fragments of Genghis Khan's attack sequence, causing Genghis Khan to appear to undergo a gender transformation. Madhead, the developer, acknowledged using AI technology to assist in the video's production and removed the promotional material after the issue was discovered.
Reported impact
Players criticised the official apology statement for using euphemisms like "highly similar scenes" and "residual improper external materials" instead of acknowledging plagiarism or copyright infringement. The compensation of five magic stones (equivalent to a single in-game pull) was dismissed by long-time players as insulting.
Veteran players stated they would no longer support the game, citing its 13-year history of trust being undermined by the studio's pursuit of cost reduction through AI shortcuts. The incident was characterised as a major public relations disaster for the franchise.
Index analysis
The promotional video used AI-assisted generation without adequate safeguards against copying third-party work, reflecting insufficient human review processes in the content approval workflow. Madhead stated it would prohibit using third-party works as direct sources for AI generation and implement similarity checks and multi-level approval procedures.
Governance controls
Madhead announced enhanced review mechanisms for promotional materials including similarity detection and multi-layer approval processes, more detailed guidelines on content production and material references for staff training, and revision of AI-assisted production workflows with explicit prohibition of using third-party works as generation sources.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.