DEADROP dev responds as fans accuse CoD of stealing skin from Dr Disrespect game

Liam Mackay
Doomslayer skin in Warzone and Vanguard

Activision dropped Warzone and Vanguard’s Tracer Pack Malware Ultra Skin but players immediately noticed a striking similarity with Dr Disrespect’s DEADROP, and it looks like it’s even prompted a response from a Midnight Society developer.

Not long after Activision had to apologize for copying artwork from an independent artist, plagiarism accusations are flying once again. This time concerning Vanguard and Warzone’s new Doomslayer skin which Dr Disrespect fans immediately recognized.

Dr Disrespect’s ‘vertical extraction shooter’ DEADROP is currently in development, and there have already been plenty of comparisons with Call of Duty — mostly from Doc himself. He’s previously said that Modern Warfare 2 can’t “match” DEADROP.

Those who have bought a DEADROP Founders Pass have received one of 10,000 “Variants,” which are unique in-game characters. Senior developers have shown off their Variants, and many think they are the inspiration for Call of Duty’s latest bundle.

The Tracer Pack Malware Ultra skin dropped in Warzone and Vanguard on August 15, featuring a hooded sci-fi character with a skull-faced digital visor. Those words could also be used to describe DEADROP founder Robert Bowling’s Variant, and players were quick to make the comparison.

“Damn, they had to scrap the Dog they ripped off then went straight for a DEADROP variant,” replied one Twitter user. “Looks like whoever created this skin TRIED to copy the Variant of one of the leaders of [Midnight Society],” commented another.

While not a direct response, Bowling, who’s an ex-Infinity Ward dev, tweeted: “At least name it after me.”

Not everyone was convinced that the skin was a straight copy though, as some said that it’s a classic sci-fi design that’s been around longer than DEADROP.

We’ll need to wait and see whether Activision respond to the accusations, but Doc fans are convinced. In the meantime, check out how NICKMERCS will be “brutally honest” if he thinks DEADROP is trash.

Image Credit: Activision

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About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].