The metal band Powerman5000 released a statement on their Facebook page claiming that their song "When Worlds Collide" and the "Sephirot Theme (Phase 2)" song from online role-playing game "Final Fantasy 14" are too similar.
The metal group embedded in their Facebook post a video featuring the game music in question. This issue could mean big trouble for the game developer. According to Game Spot, the band's frontman Spider One (Michael Cummings on his real name) said on the post that the "level of unimaginative theft" was "mind-blowing."
"When Worlds Collide" by Powerman 5000's is one of the group's most well-known songs. Movies like "Mission Impossible 2" and "Little Nicky" feature the song, as well as games like "WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw," Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD" and "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2."
According to Roket News 24, the eight-minute track from "Final Fantasy 14" is still a clearly distinct song, but the group Powerman5000 considers that the opening section is all-out "unimaginative theft."
Many fans of the "Final Fantasy" series have already expressed on Facebook their support towards their favorite game series but public opinion online remains divided on the issue. Some people also claimed that "Sephirot Theme" from "Final Fantasy 14" bears similarities to the song "Devil May Cry 4. Others pointed out that "This is Halloween" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was also apparently used by "Final Fantasy 14."
Naoki Yoshida, the producer of "Final Fantasy 14" made a statement on the Square-Enix forums regarding the Powerman5000 accusation. He explained that Sephirot originally appreaded in "Final Fantasy 6" and he is a legacy boss character.
According to the producer, in order to portray Sephirot's return, he opted to work the "Battle to the Death" track from "Final Fantasy 6" into the Containnment Bay first phase and to create a "Final Fantasy 14" original for the second phase. In order to create the original track in "Final Fantasy 14," they incorporated a warped obsession with life and story-driven themes of death, using industrial rock musical genre.
It is still unclear if "Sephirot Theme" was a rip-off or a homage and, if Powerman500 chooses to take legal action, it will be up for a court to decide on the matters.
