**Former EA Artist Accuses NetEase of Copying Wakanda Map Designs in Marvel Rivals**
Jeryce Dianingana, the former lead environment artist on EA’s canceled Marvel Black Panther game developed by Cliffhanger Studios, has publicly accused NetEase, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, of copying his work in designing their Wakanda-themed map.
Dianingana initially raised these claims on social media platforms X and Bluesky, highlighting striking similarities between elements of Marvel Rivals’ “Interstellar Empire of Wakanda” map and his own earlier designs. In a follow-up interview with *Game Developer*, he detailed how he identified what he calls a “KeyHole extrusion” visible both in the in-game map and in his publicized concept art.
“I saw that KeyHole extrusion in the wall with that statue support—both things that I designed with very specific symmetrical patterns. I directly recognized my work,” Dianingana explained when asked how he noticed the similarities.
Adding to his suspicions, Dianingana shared that in late 2024, he was contacted by someone claiming to be a concept artist who praised his work and admitted it had inspired the Marvel Rivals design team.
### Similarities in Design Elements
Marvel Rivals’ concept art and in-game map feature a number of alcoves with statues and busts paying tribute to the iconic Marvel character, set within a location called the “Imperial Institute of Science.” These alcoves closely resemble those in Dianingana’s 2021 piece “Ondze Museum,” which depicted busts bearing African masks arranged in a museum-like environment. The Marvel Rivals map also appears to depict a similar museum space.
Further, the statues in NetEase’s concept art include golden triangles that mirror those on Dianingana’s statues. Dianingana also noticed a statue in the Marvel Rivals map that closely matches his 2017 piece titled “Wakongo River.” This statue is situated in the same room as a bust of Black Panther, placed within a keyhole-shaped alcove—another distinctive design element Dianingana originally created.
While these parallels could be coincidental, Dianingana found his concerns reinforced by a message from an individual connected to Marvel Rivals.
### Message from ‘Milu’ Fuels Accusations
In December 2024, just weeks after Marvel unveiled the cosmic Wakanda-themed map, Dianingana received a direct message from someone named “Milu,” who claimed to be “the art developer” on Marvel Rivals.
“I like your design very much,” the message read. “We also absorbed the inspiration of your work in the design of the Wakanda map.” Milu went on to invite Dianingana to “participate” in the art design process or to “work with us remotely to produce the artwork of Marvel Rivals.”
*Game Developer* reviewed Milu’s X account on October 22, 2025, discovering it initially contained Marvel Rivals concept art and a link to an affiliated Artstation profile. Although the link was inactive at the time, an Artstation page for an artist named “Mi Lu” was identified, showcasing some of the same art shared on the X account.
By October 24, all of Milu’s tweets had been deleted and the Artstation profile’s content was reduced to a single 3D rendering of a Bitcoin. It remains unclear exactly when these accounts were scrubbed.
### Attempts to Contact NetEase Ignored
Dianingana made his initial social posts on October 17 and added further commentary on October 23. In his updates, he revealed attempts to reach out to NetEase to discuss the apparent use of his art went unanswered.
“I tried to enable many conversations but they were all ignored. You needed people who knew African culture to help you with Wakanda,” Dianingana said. “You used my knowledge and just started ignoring me when I started to ask for credits.”
As the situation develops, many in the creative and gaming communities are watching to see how NetEase will respond to these allegations concerning copyright and cultural representation in their designs.
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/art/netease-accused-of-copying-art-for-marvel-rivals-wakanda-map