Activision is one of the biggest publishers in gaming, and with the company having ownership of franchises like Call of Duty, it is easy to understand why. However, Activision has recently come under fire for certain character designs within its flagship franchise, and the latest person seeking legal action is a well-known celebrity.
Retired wrestler and video game lover Booker T is the person seeking legal action, and considering that the former WWE superstar is such an avid fan of the medium, it says quite a bit that he feels the need to sue a company over a video game character. According to Booker T, though, there is evidence that Activision stole his original gimmick of G.I. Bro. Used before Booker T popularized the spinarooinie celebration and Scissor Kick, G.I. Bro was a character he played early in his wrestling career, with the wrestler fully owning the rights to the character.
Before there were Operators in Call of Duty, Treyarch used specialists to give its multiplayer soldiers a personality. One of these specialists was Prophet, first introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 as a man obsessed with improving himself via cybernetic enhancements. Bald and having 90% of his body covered in advanced technology, this version of Prophet looks far different from Booker T and the G.I. Bro character — though this is not the version of Prophet that the wrestler takes issue with.
Booker T’s lawsuit is based entirely around the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 version of the character. With the game taking place 20 years prior to the events of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Prophet lacks the enhancements — boasting dreadlocks and a design that is quite similar to a certain version of Booker T’s G.I. Bro. With the G.I. Bro character being given a few spinoff comics where this type of look is used, the wrestler points out the similarities between the renditions of Prophet and G.I. Bro as the basis for his case.
Intriguingly, this is the second story tied to Activision character infringement to come about in recent weeks. With Activision being sued over the Mara character, a popular operator that first appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the company already has its hands full with one case related to its characters. However, with jury selection beginning on April 19, Booker T’s G.I. Bro case is quickly approaching its official court date.
With Prophet looking so unique in his Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 debut, the WWE superstar will likely struggle to win in court. Still, with Booker T first seeking legal action back in February of 2019, both parties will likely be happy to get this issue being them in a few months’ time.
Source: Ringside News