Last week, Bethesda Softworks announced that the producer filed the suit against Warner Bros. Entertainment in a District of Maryland court on Thursday, Jun. 21. Bethesda is not suing only Warner, but also Canadian developer Behaviour Interactive for allegedly using the source code from highly successful mobile
Fallout Shelter game to create a new mobile app set in the
Westworld universe.
Bethesda hired Behaviour in 2014 to work on its
Fallout Shelter app and it's accusing the former business partner of breaching of contract, copyright infringement, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets. According to Warner, which has finally decided to address those claims (via GamesIndustry.biz), "
The assertions by Bethesda Softworks that Warner's Westworld mobile game improperly used source code from Bethesda's Fallout Shelter are as surprising as they are unsubstantiated."
"
Warner Bros. has been assured by the game developer, Behaviour Interactive, that Bethesda's allegations are untrue and that none of Bethesda's code was used in the Westworld game. Moreover, contrary to Bethesda's baseless accusation, Warner Bros. at no time 'induced' Behaviour to use the Fallout Shelter code in Westworld," a representative for Warner Bros. Entertainment told the site.
Bethesda is calling for the
Westworld game to be scrapped and all current versions pulled from distribution, as well as actual and punitive damages, so it isn't surprising to see Warner Bros. defend its IP. The owner of the
Fallout brand has yet to respond to Warner Bros.'s latest statement.
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