No, Ultramodern5 did not rip off Outgunned's cover.

[Reef]

I'm not sure why that matters. If it's a clear homage to John Wick (which this is; I recognized that immediately when I saw it), keeping the same construction makes sense. No one is trying to pass this off as an original concept.

Also, John Wick didn't invent this concept, though they might be the first to put it on promotional material. With two minutes of googling, I was able to find several images of an isolated protagonist facing the camera, surrounded by faceless hostiles brandishing weapons, which predate the John Wick image.

I guess the difference is where you draw the line on homage. Both pieces are clearly inspired by, and are meant to be a reference to the Wick image. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The difference is, the first artist went off and drew their own interpretation of the idea. The second looks like they practically traced the Wick art.

(Note, I don't know that's what the artist did. But that's the way it sure looks).

It's up to you whether that bothers you or not.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I would say that the fact that the two images are sufficiently alike as to present a bad situation for the smaller game. People are going to assume that the smaller game is just a clone of the larger.

 

[Bill Zebub]

The second looks like they practically traced the Wick art.

Some of the individual guns are essentially identical.

 

[Voadam]

Is it okay?

If it is THAT similar in appearance?

I'd say so.

There is copyright protection for art and there are contested not entirely clear lines about derivative works, but this type of artistic riffing does not seem morally wrong to me.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I am sure you can find pulp books and detective comics with art like that from 50 or more years ago (100).

Harold Lloyd (film comedian)

 

[Weiley31]

Film Tag line: WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE TUNA!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Given the subject matter of both books, referencing John Wick is a wink at their intended audiences. If I were buying either game, it would be for John Wick-style shenanigans (among other action movie tropes) and I would be disappointed if either book looked like it existed in a media market lacking John Wick.

Everyone (meaning the eight people apparently bothered by this) needs to chill out.

 

[macd21]

Is it okay?

If it is THAT similar in appearance?

Yes, it’s ok. The artists in both cases aren’t trying to pass off someone else’s work as their own, they’re intentionally invoking someone else’s work in their own. They want the viewer to think of the John Wick image - they’re not trying to hide it. It’s a form of flattery.