‘I'm not happy': Inside the bizarre bunfight over rugby league's new video game
The keenly anticipated release of the Rugby League 26 game 10 days ago has been followed by a barrage of complaints by users over the game's quality and accuracy.
NRLW players Millie Elliott and Kennedy Cherrington have also publicly criticised the likeness of female players in the game after issues around the scanning process used to capture facial features in production.
Both the NRL and Rugby League Players' Association (RLPA) declined to comment on correspondence between the organisations outlining player concerns. Rugby League 26 creators Big Ant studio did not respond to requests for comment.
However, sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter claim that most of the issues with players' likeness stem from those who were not available to be scanned when developers attended various clubs.
Big Ant Studios chief executive Ross Symons addressed the inconsistencies in player likenesses on Friday, telling this masthead: 'We went to great lengths to capture NRL and NRLW players in person.
'All players – equally from both the NRL and NRLW – who chose to attend the photogrammetry sessions are accurately and faithfully represented in the game.'
Some NRL clubs were caught off guard when Big Ant producers arrived to scan facial features for the game, with the majority of male players' scans done in person.
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