text/Forbes China
Picture source: Visual China
On October 20, Youku held a 2022 boutique preview meeting, releasing a list of key content such as dramas, variety shows, humanities, animations, etc., among which a new variety show "Squid" was exposed "Victory" sparked heated discussions. Judging from the introduction of online information, Youku positions "The Victory of the Squid" as "a big intellectual and physical challenge". The entire variety show will bring together classic national games and adopt a strong plot advancement and group combat mode.
Many netizens believe that whether it is the name, content, or even the poster design, "The Victory of the Squid" is suspected of plagiarism and is highly similar to the recent Korean drama " Squid Game " that has become popular around the world.
It is reported that "Squid Game" is a Netflix Korean original drama launched globally on September 17, 2021. It tells the story of hundreds of people who are trapped in life and participate in 6 life and death escape games in order to win a prize of 45.6 billion won. The story and plot combine thriller and suspense elements and have become the most popular series in the history of Netflix. After "Squidward" aired, Netflix's market value increased by approximately $19.2 billion. Netflix's third quarter financial report this year showed that Netflix subscribers increased by 4.38 million in the single quarter of Q3, which was not only better than the company's guidance of 1.54 million in the previous quarter, but also better than Wall Street 's expectations of 3.5 million, compared with 2.2 million last year. Doubled. Amid the
plagiarism scandal, netizens criticized Youku's "Squid's Victory" verbally and in writing. Netflix also responded that "it has not had any copyright-related discussions with the Chinese side." As public opinion fermented, on the evening of the 20th, Youku responded through its official Weibo, saying, "Due to a work error, the first draft of the design of the new variety game "Victory of the Game" that had been 'killed' was mistakenly used at the investment fair site." At the same time, Attached is a "Game of Victory" poster.
In addition to "The Victory of the Squid", another Youku variety show "The Great Dance Club" was also suspected of plagiarizing the Korean variety show "Street Warrior". South Korea's CJ Mnet media company responded that it did not sell the copyright of the program.
