Indie soulslike Bleak Faith: Forsaken denies claims that it ripped off Elden Ring

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Developer Archangel Studios says it acquired the content in question from the Epic Marketplace

Bleak Faith: Forsaken
(Image credit: Archangel Studios)

The studio behind indie soulslike Bleak Faith: Forsaken has denied claims that it ripped off Elden Ring.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken, the new indie soulslike from developer Archangel Studios, launched last week on PC, and from first glance, FromSoftware's influence can be seen in everything from its dark fantasy visuals to its gruelling combat. But some feel the similarities go beyond mere likeness, and there are claims that Archangel stole animations used in Bleak Faith: Forsaken from Elden Ring.

The tweet was accompanied by a video showing a side-by-side comparison of various animations from both games. The footage highlights the similarity between attacking with the claymore in Bleak Faith and using the uchigatana and the straight sword in Elden Ring. It also shows how certain enemy attacks in the new soulslike bear an uncanny resemblance to foe's movements in FromSoftware's latest offering.

In response to the claims, Archangel issued a statement claiming that the animations weren't stolen but purchased on the Epic Marketplace from an asset-seller known as PersiaNinja. "We've always been transparent about using the Epic Marketplace for animations that are good and fit our theme," the developer said. They also pointed out that Bleak Faith's "entire world was built by hand" and that only "about 10% of the art is outsourced".

Acknowledging Archangel's response in a follow-up tweet, Meowmaritus wrote, "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm mostly mad at the person who uploaded the assets". A quick look on PersiaNinja's store page on the Epic Marketplace shows that it now displays the message "no content found", so seemingly, the controversy surrounding Bleak Souls: Forsaken has resulted in the assets being pulled from sale.

Looking for more info on Shadow of the Erdtree? Here's everything we currently know about the Elden Ring DLC.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.