Fandom, no matter what media it’s attached to, is full of things that would make creators of various key franchises happy. For example, when they hear that fans bought their games in droves, that makes them thrilled. When they see that fans loved certain characters so much that they did fan art of them or dressed up as them in cosplay form, they feel overjoyed. They love seeing fans showcase their love of these series. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a line or two that fans shouldn’t cross, and Tekken 8’s own Katsuhiro Harada reminded them of that in a post that many might not have seen coming.
On Twitter, Harada warned players against showing off the “original creation/concept” characters they made to him or others who worked on Tekken 8, including publisher Bandai Namco. In short, fans might have come up with an idea for a character that “fits the world.” We’ve all done it over the years via TV shows, movies, and games, and you might get inspired to show it to the creators to see what they think. However, as Harada notes, that can lead to issues if someone from the team sees it:
“Basically, the more specific and detailed the idea is, the less likely we are to adopt it, and the further away from it we are from being influenced by it. Why? Because a certain percentage of people will file a lawsuit in the form of ‘you used my proposal without permission’ or ‘you stole my proposal’ or ‘that was my proposal. It’s not a question of whether we can win the lawsuit or not, but the fact that these kinds of troubles arise is a burden for us.”
Indeed, it’s a very slippery slope, and this practice isn’t just common in the gaming industry. Many movie and television producers/writers/directors beg incoming Hollywood workers not to share their ideas with anyone because they won’t look at them until contracts and NDAs are signed. They can’t risk seeing an idea, rejecting it for one reason or another, and then, down the line, coming up with an idea that’s “similar to what was shown to them” and then having to deal with potential backlash.
That doesn’t mean you can’t draw your OC characters and have fun with them, Harada isn’t trying to stifle your creativity. He just wants you to not put yourself in a position to get other people in trouble just because you wanted to show off your art.
