Lawsuits
Ongoing coverage on Lawsuits.
Latest coverage
MMO Week in Review: EverQuest celebrates 27 years and a lawsuit settlement in its favor
EverQuest celebrated its 27th anniversary with a lawsuit settlement that favors Daybreak Game Company, keeping emulators offline. This week also saw layoffs at Amazon for Lost Ark developers, Facebook scaling back VR metaverse ambitions, and discussions around various MMORPG updates and industry trends.
New Orleans man charged with child pornography possession tells investigators he’s a Roblox programmer, adding to the long line of awful controversies for the platform
A New Orleans man, Jamie Borne, was arrested and charged with child pornography possession, claiming to be a Roblox programmer. Roblox Corporation has denied he ever worked for the company. This incident adds to ongoing controversies and lawsuits against Roblox, including one from Louisiana alleging the platform enables child predators.
Subnautica 2 execs call out Krafton’s launch memo as a ‘self-serving’ leak and contempt of court
Unknown Worlds attorneys have filed a letter asking a vice chancellor to find Krafton in contempt of court over the announcement of Subnautica 2's early access launch. They argue that Krafton's CEO, Steve Papoutsis, lacked the legal authority to make the declaration, which they claim was an intentional leak designed to circumvent the court's order reinstating Ted Gill and was made without regard for the game or community.
Krafton now says Subnautica 2 will officially hit early access in May as lawsuits continue
Krafton has announced that Subnautica 2 will launch into early access in May, despite ongoing lawsuits with the original founders of Unknown Worlds. A recent court ruling ordered the reinstatement of former Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, who is now expected to oversee the game's transition to early access. The company confirmed the memo regarding the May release is legitimate and that the team has made significant progress.
Krafton ordered to reinstate fired Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill in Subnautica 2 lawsuit
Krafton has been ordered to reinstate Ted Gill, the former CEO of Unknown Worlds, amidst a lawsuit. The legal dispute involves allegations that Krafton leadership used ChatGPT to devise a plan to avoid paying Unknown Worlds a $250 million bonus related to Subnautica 2.
xAI is being sued by teens who say Grok created CSAM using their photos
xAI is facing a class action lawsuit filed by three teenagers who allege that its AI model, Grok, used their photos to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The lawsuit claims that xAI violated laws by producing and distributing child abuse material, causing severe emotional distress to the plaintiffs. This legal action follows previous investigations into Grok's alleged creation of nonconsensual nudity and sexualized images of children.
In a wild turn for the Subnautica 2 lawsuit, a judge orders Krafton to restore fired Unknown Worlds CEO and gives them 9…
A judge has ordered Krafton to reinstate former Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill and return control of Subnautica 2's early access release schedule to him, nine months after his termination. The court found Krafton breached their agreement by firing key employees without cause to avoid a $250 million payout tied to sales targets. Krafton stated they are evaluating their options while focusing on delivering the game to fans.
Creator of acclaimed retro-style RPG Chained Echoes prepares a lawsuit against physical game publisher, and looks to…
Matthias Linda, the lead developer of the RPG Chained Echoes, is initiating legal action against physical game publisher First Press Games due to a two-year delay in delivering physical copies. Linda has terminated his business relationship with the publisher and will compensate backers who upgraded their orders through First Press Games' store.
Morning Legal Briefs
Grammarly is facing a class action lawsuit concerning its AI-powered 'Expert Review' feature. The lawsuit alleges issues with how the AI handles user data and its review capabilities.
Valve has "serious concerns" with New York Attorney General's loot box lawsuit
Valve has expressed serious concerns regarding a lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General accusing the company of promoting illegal gambling through loot boxes and item trading. The company is pushing back against these allegations.
Valve speaks out about New York loot box lawsuit in rare attempt at damage control, saying ‘it would have been bad for users and other game developers’ to preempt situation
Valve has publicly addressed the lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General regarding loot boxes, describing them as gambling. The company stated that the AG's proposed changes to its business operations would have negatively impacted users and developers on Steam, affecting privacy and the ability to trade in-game items.
Valve defends loot boxes in response to New York's lawsuit
Valve has responded to a lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general accusing the company of promoting illegal gambling through loot boxes in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2. Valve defended its use of mystery boxes, comparing them to physical trading cards and emphasizing that the items are purely cosmetic and transferable, arguing that removing transferability would harm consumers.
Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
Chained Echoes developer Matthias Linda is severing ties with physical distributor First Press Games and preparing a lawsuit due to a two-year delay in fulfilling physical copies. Only standard PlayStation 4 editions have been released so far. Linda is offering Kickstarter backers refunds or fulfillment from another publisher.
Chained Echoes Dev Sues First Press Games Over Missing Physical Editions
Matthias Linda, the developer of Chained Echoes, is suing First Press Games due to the failure to deliver physical editions of the game over two years after they were expected. Linda is terminating his business relationship with First Press Games and offering refunds to backers, while also noting that new physical editions may not be produced until the lawsuit concludes.
Fortnite readies a return to Android as lawsuit settles as Epic pins leaks on a contract worker
Fortnite is set to return to Android devices following a settlement between Epic Games and Google, which will allow third-party payment processors. This resolution is part of a broader legal battle concerning app store payment practices. Separately, Epic Games is suing a former contract worker, Hayden Cohen, for allegedly leaking confidential information about upcoming Fortnite collaborations and events.
Nintendo of America sues US government over tariffs
Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit against the US government seeking refunds for tariffs imposed last year. The company manufactures its hardware in Vietnam and China and argues the tariffs were unlawful. This action follows a Supreme Court decision that struck down global tariffs, leading to new ones being imposed.
Ashes of Creation Legal Update
The MMORPG Ashes of Creation remains in limbo over a month after going offline. Legal disputes, including a lawsuit and counter-suit involving Rob Dawson, have emerged since the game's shutdown.
Nintendo Suing U.S. Government Over Tariffs
Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit against the United States government in the U.S. Court of International Trade. The company is contesting the tariffs that were implemented by President Donald Trump last year.
Nintendo sues Trump administration
Nintendo of America is suing the Trump administration and several US government agencies in the US Court of International Trade, seeking refunds for tariffs that the Supreme Court later deemed unconstitutional. The company claims these tariffs, amounting to over $200 billion collectively, negatively impacted its business, including causing delays in Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders and increasing accessory costs.
Nintendo sues US government over Trump administration tariffs
Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit seeking refunds for tariffs paid under the Trump administration, following a federal judge's ruling that companies are due compensation. Thousands of other companies are also pursuing similar legal action. The tariffs reportedly impacted Nintendo's Switch hardware launch preparations.
