Wrath or rise of the Which King?
by Zach Yonzon 
Nov 2nd 2008 at 6:00PM
Who copied whom? Probably nobody, really. It just so happens that ghastly blue seems to be the favorite color of evil leader-types and their undead minions. Witch Kings and Lich Kings also probably shop from the same armor boutiques, considering the similarity in their helmets -- eyelets, open-mouth design, and crown-like extensions. Fortunately for all of us, the Lord of the Rings video game is already a few years old, so we probably won't make the mistake of picking the wrong game up from the shelves when Wrath finally arrives this November 13.
Filed under: Odds and ends, Death Knight, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
PirateNipple Nov 2nd 2008 6:12PM
This has nothing on the recent Baja: Edge of Control debacle:
http://kotaku.com/5069437/thq-sues-activision-over-baja-box-art-rip
Avery Nov 2nd 2008 8:31PM
haha That was exactly what I was thinking of when I saw the copy. GG Activision. I can completely see why THQ sued you over the coverart.
Daniel Nov 2nd 2008 6:12PM
Well would you look at that...
Bloodletter Nov 3rd 2008 5:37AM
"Witch Kings and Lich Kings also probably shop from the same armor boutiques....."
I Lol'ed IRL.
Good Article.
mark Nov 2nd 2008 6:15PM
First of all... the Witch King is WAY older than the Lich King. There is no copying there.
Also, the Witch King's armor is based off the LotR trilogy... come one guys, get some real news, please.
Damntheman Nov 2nd 2008 7:07PM
I find it amusing that almost every poster has jumped to the conclusion that this article may be implying EA copying blizz. Try squeezing the pea a little harder. Yes, you're right, rise of the witch king did come first, which then begs the question...
rosencratz Nov 3rd 2008 5:46AM
TBH, seeing as i had seen Witch king artwork of this style over ten years ago, why don't we all assume that two fantasy worlds came to the same logical conclusion at different times.
That sort of spikey armour has been seen adorning bad guys dozens of times.
rosencratz Nov 3rd 2008 5:46AM
Additionally, having looked at it again i think the actual personality on the front page is not that relevant. I think the main element that makes the two seem similar is more the colour scheme. The cold blues prefaced by the warmer bolder yellows/oranges of the text. If the Witch King cover had a more red/orange background the similarities might not be so... glaring?
Still though, coincidence is coincidence, the two things are completely different you can't blame two artists for both coming up with a logically good idea.
Firestride Nov 2nd 2008 6:18PM
Plus, it's not like there's any fantasy universe in Western culture that's not heavily indebted to Tolkien anyways.
Perderedeus Nov 2nd 2008 6:27PM
The Witch King is a wee bit older than Arthas, but the likeness in question was first (widely) seen in the 2001 LotR movie. Concepts for the movie go further back than that. Tolkien/LotR artwork goes even further back, and much of that had a heavy influence on production design for the movie, soooo...
Nobody copied anyone. Initially. The two game covers, however, are fairly similar :)
offday Nov 2nd 2008 6:30PM
All I see are two guys getting in your face.
Neither would really need to copy the other. They're both popular. We aren't dealing Limbo of the Lost here.
Joshua Smellie Nov 2nd 2008 6:36PM
Gotta say you guys, I like your articles and all but you're pretty slow. I read about this months ago, lol.
Joshua Smellie Nov 2nd 2008 6:37PM
Oh, and forgot to mention: Lich King owns Witch King. And considering it was thought up for Warcraft 3 then what does that say about EA?
AutumnBringer Nov 2nd 2008 7:24PM
"considering it was thought up for Warcraft 3 then what does that say about EA?"
Yeah, I bet WETA built a time machine and watched the TFT cinematic and then went back in time to make concept art for the LOTR films ripping from that helm, which would then allow EA to make a game featuring the same helmet design. Man, those EA guys are crooked alright.
jurandr Nov 2nd 2008 6:45PM
A WITCH! BURN HIM AT STAKE!
mensrea Nov 2nd 2008 6:59PM
He turned me into a newt!
Malkeior Nov 2nd 2008 7:42PM
A newt?
zprime Nov 2nd 2008 8:14PM
Well, i got better.
Kanuris Nov 2nd 2008 8:20PM
Well... i got better.
Stealthfire Nov 2nd 2008 8:37PM
BURN THE WITCH!