Video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment recently filed a lawsuit against tech giants Apple and Google. The complainant accused the search engine giant and the Cupertino-based tech titan of selling a game that is a near carbon copy of the game publisher's 2015 title "Rainbow Six Siege." According to a recent report, the lawsuit stems from the tech giants' refusal to remove the 'rip-off' game in their respective stores.
In a report released by Bloomberg, Google and Apple refused to pull out the clone of Ubisoft's game "Rainbow Six Siege" from the Google Play and Apple Store. The title alleged by Ubisoft as the game's rip-off is called "Are F2." The game is a mobile first-person shooter title developed by Ejoy, which is a subsidiary of Alibaba.
According to the video game publisher, "Area F2" clones each aspect of "Rainbow Six Siege virtually." This includes the final score screen, the operator selection screen, and even the user interface. Ubisoft noted that "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege" is one of its most valuable intellectual properties.
Ubisoft's shooting title, which was released five years ago, is also the game publisher's most popular multiplayer titles enjoyed by players all over the world. Ubisoft also stated that it notified Google and Apple that "Area F2" that the game infringes the copyright of one of its popular shooter franchises, but they did not remove the game from their respective stores.
Meanwhile, "Area F2" was launched in Apr 2020 and is described as a mobile close-quarters battle shooting title. It allows players to enjoy ultra-realistic settings and fight as defenders and attackers. The game also introduces a wide range of agents, each with their corresponding special ability.
Ubisoft's "Rainbow Six Siege" has 60 million registered players all over the world. In the company's recent earnings report, it claimed that the FPS title is remarkably successful. Bloomberg noted that Ejoy started marketing "Area F2" in the US through various social media outfits in the late part of 2019.
In another report, Engadget mentioned that the video game publisher probably decided to sue Apple and Google to have the game removed on their respective digital stores because it would be challenging to fight for a copyright infringement case against a developer based outside the US, or in this case, in China. Search engine giant Google and tech titan Apple have not yet released any statements related to the lawsuit filed by Ubisoft.
