After the creators of ARK: Survival Evolved raised allegations against the studio behind Myth of Empires at the end of last year, Myth of Empires was removed from Steam. Since then, the studios have been battling it out in court. An independent expert has now heavily incriminated Angela Game, the developers of Myth of Empires.
What is the lawsuit about? ARK developers Wildcard Studios argue that the creators of Myth of Empires stole their source code. They then allegedly used this code to develop their own survival game. The plagiarism allegations are particularly serious because both games are direct competitors.
The developers of Myth of Empires maintain their innocence and claim to hold all rights to their game, but an investigation by the Steam platform came to a different conclusion: Myth of Empires disappeared from the Steam store just two weeks after its release. Earlier this year, the lawsuit was filed: ARK Survival Evolved sues Steam rival, raising serious allegations.
The ARK developers achieved an initial success with their “DMCA takedown.” However, they did not want to be satisfied with that, especially because the opposing side is alleged to have used their source code. In the meantime, Myth of Empires continues to assert its innocence. As they could no longer distribute their game via Steam, they resorted to a trick: Thanks to their own launcher, Myth of Empires is still available for purchase.
Check out the trailer for ARK 2 here – The game is set to release in 2023.
Independent Expert Confirms Serious Allegation
What did the expert testify? In the course of the ongoing court proceedings, an independent expert was appointed. Both sides, i.e., the creators of ARK and those behind Myth of Empires, agreed on Robert Zeidman. Zeidman is recognized as an expert in software analysis and forensics and also works as a consultant.
In court proceedings in the USA, it is quite common for both plaintiffs and defendants to have a say when it comes to matters such as the selection of experts or the jury.
Zeidman’s report now reveals that Angela Game “copied substantial parts of the source code from ARK” to use it for Myth of Empires. Furthermore, there were “attempts on the part of the Myth of Empires creators to conceal their plagiarism” by obscuring the code.
What happens next in the case? The developers of ARK: Survival Evolved have achieved an initial victory thanks to the expert opinion. It is unlikely that Myth of Empires will be listed in the Steam store again anytime soon.
Angela Game has now lost their previous legal counsel. The lawyers have resigned as the studio failed to pay the attorney fees. The creators of Myth of Empires, meanwhile, have hired a new legal team and hope to turn the trial in their favor.
Myth of Empires is still available through its own website. The legal dispute is far from over. It is likely that there will be a hearing soon.
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