IGN Removes Review And Fires Editor After Plagiarism

On Tuesday, August 7th, IGN removed their written and video review for the game, Dead cells. This was due to accusations of plagiarism. The accusations came from a YouTube channel by the name of, Boomstick Gaming.

Boomstick Gaming’s review released on July 26th. IGN’s released more than a week later on August 6th. Boomstick gaming published a video showcasing the similarities between the two reviews on the same day that IGN posted their review. After having seen the video, the similarities are indeed present. However, in the interest of properly presenting the situation; here’s Boomstick Gaming’s short video detailing the similarities.

IGN’s Initial Statement

Upon the removal, IGN placed a brief statement in its place on the original IGN Dead Cells review webpage. The statement read:

“As a group of writers and creators who value our own work and others in our field, the editorial staff of IGN takes plagiarism very seriously. In light of concerns that have been raised about our Dead Cells review, we’ve removed it for the time being and are investigating.”

Boomstick Gaming’s Comment To The Accused

Boomstick Gaming also commented on the situation further by saying:

“No hate man but I wish I was cited, collaborated with, and or compensated in some way for the healthy views your site saw on your Dead Cells review.”

IGN’s Final Statement

On the evening of that same day, IGN released another statement. The statement explained that, after conducting a thorough investigation, IGN had found “substantial similarities” between the two reviews in question. Furthermore, IGN also said that they have “parted ways with the writer involved”.

Further Accusations

The writer in question was, Filip Miucin. Nintendo Editor of IGN. Shortly after the announcement of his firing, Jason Schreier of Kotaku published an update to his original article. The article detailed “striking similarities” found between the work of Miucin and other sites. All examples included were before his time at IGN. The article has since been removed from the IGN website.