
Bethesda goes as far as to call the game a “blatant rip-off,” and suggests Warner Bros.
#The elder scrolls 6 lawsuit code#
on a competitive app, but that it clearly started with a copy of Fallout Shelter or at least large portions of its copyrighted code and assets as a foundation for Warner Bros’. Upon learning about Behaviour’s new team-up with Warner Bros., Bethesda says it determined Behaviour, by necessity, must have not only breached its contractual agreement for Fallout Shelter in working with Warner Bros. The game’s marketing site revealed that it too was developed by Behaviour Interactive.
#The elder scrolls 6 lawsuit series#
announced a mobile tie-in game for its hit TV series Westworld in March, and gave players their first glance at the project at GDC in San Francisco and SXSW in Austin. Entertainment Inc., Defendant – Warner Bros. To capitalize on its popularity, Shelter was later released on PC. In June of 2015, the game was released and shot straight to the near-top of the charts for mobile downloads and players. Bethesda proposed Fallout Shelter–code name, “underground”–to Behaviour in January of 2014. At that time, Behaviour operated under the name Artificial Mind & Movement, styled “A2M,” which was changed because of the other, quite obscene potential meaning of the abbreviation. Ass Armor LLC.īehaviour Interactive Inc., Defendant – Behaviour Interactive hails from Montreal, and presumably solidified its working relationship with Bethesda during the production of Wet in the mid-to-late 2000s. Rettew, whose most awesome case is almost certainly a win for Under Armour in Under Armour Inc. Esquenet–who blogs and podcasts on the topic of intellectual property on top of several impressive career victories–and Douglas A. Despite its rampant success, Bethesda is certainly no stranger to the justice system.īethesda is represented in the matter by Margaret A. Bethesda released its first game in the Fallout series, Fallout 3, in 2008, and has earned wide critical acclaim with the series ever since. The Partiesīethesda Softworks LLC., Plaintiff – Bethesda, keeper of such mega-hit franchises as the Fallout series and The Elder Scrolls, needs little introduction, but it’s worth presenting its own introduction in the complaint–Bethesda is the owner of all intellectual property rights in and to the Fallout series, including all computer code.

So let’s take a look at the case so far, and the important questions it raises about game industry practices. Although news of the suit just emerged late last week and neither defending party has responded, plenty of footage of both games rests in public hands, and we have access to Bethesda’s 34-page complaint (complete with screenshots) on which to speculate. new Westworld mobile game, both of which Behaviour developed. in a lawsuit, alleging breach of contract and willful copyright infringement stemming from suspicious likenesses between its game Fallout Shelter and Warner Bros’. Industry outlets reported this week that Bethesda Softworks has named Behaviour Interactive and Warner Bros.
