Plagiarism Controversy
Artstorm, developer of PvP naval warfare game Modern Warships, has admitted to using an independent artist’s creation as the basis for one of its ship designs. The controversy came to light when concept artist Alex Jay Brady highlighted the striking similarities between their original creation and the in-game ship model.
Brady’s art, a concept for an atomic ekranoplan carrier vessel, was displayed side-by-side against the Modern Warships model, called the RF Bartini A-2000-7, revealing clear visual overlaps.
I did not give @ModernWarships permission to use my ekrano design, but I have to say she's looking great. Much more detailed than my sketches. Honestly if they'd just asked and sent me some $$$$ Id have had zero issue with them using it.Its not to late to do the right thing guys https://t.co/E2K7z3rE9i
Brady noted that the design shared nearly all features, including minor placement details and symmetrical adjustments required for gameplay technicalities.
Because no historical swing-wing ekranoplan carrier ever existed, Brady pointed out that specific design flaws and unique layout choices from their original sketches were cloned directly into the game model.
Developer Apology and Pricing
Following the public traction of the post, developer Artstorm reached out to Brady. Publisher Gaijin confirmed the team responded on social media while declining to provide further specifics.
In a public reply, Artstorm stated that the design was used as a reference without proper clearance and promised to contact the artist directly to resolve the issue.
To acquire the carrier in-game, players typically spend between $50 and $100 on gacha spins or purchase it using in-game ArtCoins. Depending on market fluctuations and currency conversion rates, high-tier vessels can carry steep real-world monetary equivalents.
Player discussions on Steam have frequently scrutinized the pricing structure of premium vessels within the free-to-play title, raising broader community debates regarding monetization.
