Yesterday, Behavior Interactive released a new mobile game based on the Westworld TV show of the same name. Shortly after, Bethesda Softworks filed a lawsuit against developer Behavior Interactive, as well as the game's publisher, Warner Bros. The company claimed that Behavior, who also worked on Bethesda's mobile game, Fallout Shelter, had re-used assets from Fallout Shelter to create Westworld. Also mentioned in the suit is that Behavior had allegedly taken the code from Fallout Shelter, which had been "blatantly re-used to rush out a new game after seeing the latter game's success."

Bethesda is quite confident that the exact code was stolen, due to a specific bug that Fallout Shelter had at launch, which would cause camera issues, relating to an off-center focus when zoomed in. Westworld supposedly has this exact same problem, leading them to believe that both games share the code, which is owned wholly by Bethesda Softworks.

The full list of charges against both Behavior and W.B. are copyright infringement, unfair competition, breach of contract, and distributing trade secrets. Bethesda has filed the case in the Maryland U.S. District Court, where a trial will potentially take place. The full court document is in the source below.

Source

 

[brickmii82]

I prophesize a settlement in the works.

 

[Deleted User]

Damn, the underlying code is even bugged in the same way? How the fuck did Behaviour think they'd get away with double dipping?

Honestly sounds like WB are getting ripped off on that one and getting hit in the clash.

 

[souler92]

i bet warner bros has to make a skyrim movie, and a skyrim themed park...

 

[DarthDub]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

 

[nero99]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

Well they own the rights to fall out, which means they own the rights to any and all code used to make a mobile game licensed or created by them. They have every right to sue the shit out of a company that re-used the code with out permission

 

[LittleFlame]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

They own all the rights to the code used, this isn't sue happy this is a legitimate reason

 

[Kigiru]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

I mean, in this case they have pretty much right to do what they do. Fallout Shelter is entirely their property and Behavior has no right to reuse its code in other games.

 

[The Catboy]

Leave it to Bethesda to use a bug to point out that game content was stolen.

 

[ShonenJump]

That's not good company Behavior to re-use the code.

 

[hippy dave]

Honestly sounds like WB are getting ripped off on that one and getting hit in the clash.

Ouch, that sounds like a really painful place to get hit.

 

[Chary]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

They signed a legal binding contract stating that Behavior's code was Bethesda's to own once work on Fallout Shelter was complete. They then turned around and used the code regardless of the law for another game. If you don't see that as an issue then there's something wrong.

 

[dimmidice]

I hope Bethesda loses. Getting tired of these sue happy companies thinking they own every little thing.

You didn't read the article did you? Typical.

 

[The Frenchman]

Unless Behavior can prove that they made Fallout Shelter on an engine entirely built by themselves prior to Fallout Shelter and that they can do whatever they want with that engine.

But if they built everything with Bethesda money, they're stupid and naive. Sad to see fellow Quebecois getting sued but that's what you get for being stupid and greedy. You want to bitch out to all companies and grab cash easily? You can't do that.

 

[Dimensional]

Leave it to Bethesda to use a bug to point out that game content was stolen.

You have to remember that a company that made a Wii Game was sued with the exact same finding. Open Source developers discovered that a game, Freddi Fish, for the Wii was using ScummVM code because of a common rendering bug. The problem in this case wasn't about stolen copy protected code, but it was that they violated the GPL, and not to mention GPL code couldn't be used with Nintendo's Proprietary code as stated under Nintendo's contracts, however again it was originally discovered and confirmed by a known rendering bug, much like this case.

 

[Burlsol]

i bet warner bros has to make a skyrim movie

Don't joke, they have ported Skyrim to about everything else and a movie can be written, directed, and shot within a year.

 

[spotanjo3]

That's between them. And that's their problem. Not mine.

 

[DarthDub]

You didn't read the article did you? Typical.

I did read it and that won't change my opinion on the matter. Besides, Bethesda sued Mojang in the past for having the word Scrolls in a game name. (Sorry for deflecting, just don't like Bethesda as a company since they ruined Fallout.)

 

[bi388]

I did read it and that won't change my opinion on the matter. Besides, Bethesda sued Mojang in the past for having the word Scrolls in a game name. (Sorry for deflecting, just don't like Bethesda as a company since they ruined Fallout.)

I agree theyre shit but theyre still in the right here, unless it hilariously turns out the code wasnt stolen and was brand new which would be amazing.

 

[gamesquest1]

Bethesda's bugs were actually a very subtle form of DRM fingerprinting all along, I see no other reason for back flipping horses and eyeballs popping out of heads, its so obvious now