Animation Company Cuts Ties With PlayStation Promo Animator Over Plagiarism Accusations

An animation and media company has cut ties with animator and director Kevin Bao who’s [...]

An animation and media company has cut ties with animator and director Kevin Bao who's PlayStation promo video has been at the center of plagiarism allegations this week. Bao's name and the PlayStation promo video in question which was shared by PlayStation Japan began circulating online on Wednesday after viewers noticed striking similarities between the video and other animators' works from properties like Steven Universe and more. In the wake of these allegations, the media company Eallin Animation said it had no knowledge of Bao's alleged plagiarism and that it has ceased all representation of the animator's works.

Eallin Animation commented on the situation surrounding Bao and this promo video in a tweet on Wednesday where it said it had "no knowledge that the work produced by Kevin Bao was plagiarized." The company then said that it's already ended its representation of Bao's works and has reached out to the animator for a response on the matter.

Bao is no longer listed within the company's list of directors, though it's clear that Bao had a director page at one point that's no longer there. There were also social media posts up about Bao's works, though at least one of those has also apparently been removed. These changes show a quick response from the animation company, though neither Bao nor Sony have officially commented on the plagiarism concerns beyond Sony's removal of the video.

News of this response from Eallin Animation from Catsuka, an animation-focused website which has been cataloging the claims and evidence of the alleged plagiarism. Catsuka has been providing updates since the allegations first emerged while piecing together examples of other instances where Bao was said to have plagiarized works.

The PlayStation promo video in question can be seen at the top of the article after it was removed by PlayStation and reuploaded by a different user.

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