On June 6th, the project team noticed the controversy surrounding the "Time Raider" collaboration. They immediately conducted an investigation and review, and began actively communicating with the copyright holder and cosplayers on June 7th to clarify the situation.
After investigation, it was found that the "Time Raider" collaboration costume, Aeroplanist - Wang Pangzi, and the collaboration poster did not contain any AI-generated or AI-blended images; all materials were hand-drawn. Please see the long image for an explanation of the points of contention and a review of the supervision process.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and poor experience caused to the cosplayers and visitors due to our lack of rigor. The project team will readjust the original artwork for the [Collaboration A-Tier Costume] Aeroplanist - Wang Pangzi. Furthermore, to thank everyone for their attention and reminders, players will receive the [Collaboration A-Tier Costume] Aeroplanist - Wang Pangzi and the [Collaboration A-Tier Accessory] Aeroplanist - Time Raider Talisman for free after the collaboration launches. The related posters will also be updated.
Please see the image for details.
Following the summer preview on June 5th, the project team noticed controversy on social media regarding the costume design of the character Wang Pangzi from the "Time Raider" collaboration. After learning of the situation, the team immediately investigated and reviewed the issue.
On December 3, 2025, the project team submitted a proposal for character costume concept art design based on the official design materials provided by the copyright holder. The initial design was a sportswear design from the official design materials.
In response to feedback on the original artwork proposal, the copyright holder provided several reference images (see Figure 1), including the controversial photo of a real-life cosplayer. During the subsequent drawing process, the project team failed to verify the reference images immediately, leading to misunderstandings and misinterpretations by the art team, resulting in the excessive use of cosplayer accessories.
On December 24, 2025, the project team's art team submitted three initial drafts of the Wang Pangzi collaboration costume artwork based on reference images provided by the copyright holder (see Figure 2 for details). The copyright holder had no objections to versions B and C, but preferred version B. During the supervision process, neither party raised any objections to the court beads and bracelets in the initial drafts. Therefore, the art team retained these elements in the subsequent refinement process, and the final version passed the final review.
On June 6, 2026, the project team became aware of the controversy and immediately initiated an internal investigation to review and address the issues. On the morning of June 7, the project team contacted the copyright holder to explain the situation. Based on the cosplayer's affection and trust for the copyright holder, the project team prioritized having the copyright holder explain the situation and apologize to the cosplayer, and hoped to establish contact with them. On the evening of June 7, the project team received feedback from the copyright holder (see Figure 3). On June 8, the project team established contact with the cosplayer to apologize and is currently communicating amicably regarding compensation.
NetEase : We have noticed that most of the content posted by the teacher was related to Time Raiders. We appreciate the your support for Time Raiders. As the copyright holder, we hope to understand your needs and do our best to support you.
OP : My demand is for NetEase to give me a clear answer. If they used my materials, then they should issue a public apology and provide compensation. After all, this involves direct commercial profit, and they should also provide appropriate compensation to the players. If they insist on denying it, then they should provide their original design drafts and design concepts, and explain why there is such a high degree of overlap.
I reserve all legal rights to pursue legal action.
Protect one's legitimate rights and interests from infringement.
NetEase : Regarding your request to emulate your style, we support your suggestion. We will now communicate with NetEase to find a solution. Teacher, please calm down and let's negotiate a solution first, okay?
In addition, the project team discovered that the "Time Raider" collaboration poster also had some controversies. After verification and review, it was found that the poster was hand-drawn and not AI-generated. On March 16, 2026, the project team submitted three versions of the poster draft for review. After internal discussion, it was decided to use option B and proceed with the refinement after approval by the copyright holder (see Figure 4 for details).
The following are the verification results regarding the points of contention:
Point of contention 1: There are suspected AI traces in the zipper part of Wang Pangzi's character. Upon inspection, it was found that there were two progress drafts of the zipper part of Wang Pangzi's character on the poster. In the first progress draft, the zipper was positioned too close to the chest, and the zipper turned from front to side, which was visually strange and made it difficult to display the ornament. Therefore, the art team redrawn and adjusted it (see Figure 5 for details). In the final version, some zippers were incorrectly retained due to the layers being turned off.
Point of contention 2: The stitching on Wang Pangzi's pants and the holes in his shoes. Upon investigation, it was found that this drawing underwent multiple iterations based on feedback. When adding stitching details and adjusting the number of shoe holes, the details in symmetrical areas were not updated simultaneously, resulting in inconsistencies in the final draft.
Point of contention 3: The issue of Zhang Qiling's collar. During the poster sketch stage, the lighting and shadows of the original artwork were misjudged, and the hoodie was mistakenly interpreted as a collar structure (see Figure 7 for the original artwork design).
We sincerely apologize to the Cosplayers and visitors who were affected. We are very sorry that our lack of rigor caused a bad experience and inconvenience to the Cosplayers and visitors. The project team will further standardize the supervision process in the future. At the same time, the project team will strengthen the review of promotional posters.
The project team will subsequently readjust the concept art for the [Collaboration A-Tier Costume] Aeroplanist- Wang Pangzi. Additionally, to thank everyone for their attention and reminders regarding the collaboration between Time Raider and Identity V, players will receive the [Collaboration A-Tier Costume] Aeroplanist - Wang and the [Collaboration A-Tier Accessory] Aviator Pangzi - Tomb Raider Talisman for free after the collaboration launches. Related posters will also be updated after the update.
Finally, thank you all very much for your attention and support. The project team will continue to optimize the process and treat every collaboration with a more rigorous attitude. Thank you!