After YouTuber Boomstick Gaming published a video accusing IGN Nintendo editor Filip Miucin of plagiarizing his review of indie game Dead Cells, the editorial team at IGN have decided to cut ties with Miucin. The company plans to re-review the title later this week.
The allegations initially led to IGN taking the review down, stating the outlet would investigate the matter further. With the investigation now wrapped up, the gaming media conglomerate decided that the evidence could not be ignored.
“After taking the time to investigate, we’ve determined that there were substantial similarities between a review posted weeks earlier and our review that could not be justified and warranted taking down,” IGN wrote in a statement tweeted out earlier today. “This particular situation stepped over the line and is not a reflection of our editorial standards.”
IGN’s Statement on the Dead Cells review investigation: pic.twitter.com/3hh0hpPK0Y
— IGN (@IGN) August 7, 2018
IGN apologized to the community in the tweet, followed by a promise to re-review Dead Cells later this week (without a fresh side order of plagiarism).
“We will work tirelessly to ensure that, regardless of whether you agree with our reviews, you can have faith that every word is nothing less than the genuine opinions of our critics,” the statement reads. “Nothing is more important to us than your trust.”
Per Jason Schreier at Kotaku, this isn’t the first time Miucin has been caught plagiarizing content. Before Miucin had a history with IGN, he posted a video review of FIFA 18 for the Nintendo Switch on October 1, 2017. Two days prior, news outlet NintendoLife posted its FIFA 18 review, written by Chris Scullion. The similarities between the two are shocking and echo the allegations Boomstick Gaming brought up against Miucin just a day ago.
Additional Opinion from the Author
This is a perfect example of why plagiarism never pays off. IGN stands near the top of the games journalism mountain, serving as a role model for many smaller outlets. And now Miucin has blemished that reputation while doing an extreme disservice to his fellow writers.
