The Legal Battle
Bethesda filed suit against Behaviour Interactive and Warner Bros. alleging that their mobile game, Westworld infriged copyright of their game Fallout Shelter. They claimed that Westworld, "Has the same or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features and other gameplay elements as Fallout Shelter, all of which are owned by Bethesda."
Behaviour Interactive claims that the similarities are coincidental and that the game is based on an original concept that draws inspiration from the Westworld series.
They denied the allegations of reused assets and code without permission.
Warner Bros. plays a critical role in the case as it's responsible for publishing the Westworld mobile game, which is at the center of the dispute. They denied the allegations, stating that Westworld Mobile was independently developed and didn't use any of Bethesda's assets.
Game Comparison
Fallout Shelter
Released June 14, 2015.
Westworld
Released August 20, 2019.
Settlement
After the copyright claims were dismissed, the lawsuit was settled, and Westworld Mobile was shut down.
Significance
The significance of this case shows how crucial it is to protect your game designs and ideas. It highlights the need for clear contracts and ownership rights in game development to avoid situations like this.