Ubisoft is none too happy about a mobile game it claims is way too similar to one of its own games, Rainbox Six: Siege. It says that the game, called Area F2, borrows “virtually every aspect” of Ubisoft’s own title.
While the alleged ripoff title is made by Alibaba’s Ejoy and Qookka Games, Ubisoft is suing Apple and Google for hosting it on their respective app store platforms, says a Bloomberg article published over the weekend.
Ubisoft claims that it made Apple and Google aware of the copyright violation. However, neither has removed the game from being for sale on their platforms. At time of writing, the game is still available for download in the App Store. Its most recent update was on May 18. The game’s summary reads as follows:
“In Area F2, the first CQB (Close-Quarters Battle) mobile FPS, players fight over ultra-realistic environments as attacker and defender, playing as one of a wide selection of agents, each with their own special ability.”
Ripping off a popular IP
In Bloomberg‘s report, published Saturday, it notes that Rainbow Six: Siege has 55 million registered players. More than 3 million people play the game each day. “R6S is among the most popular competitive multiplayer games in the world, and is among Ubisoft’s most valuable intellectual properties,” Ubisoft said.
The reason for suing Apple and Google likely relates to the challenge of making a copyright case against Ejoy in China. However, if Ubisoft is able to get Apple or Google (or, ideally, both) to remove the game from their app stores, it will hurt the revenue the company is able to pull in.
Have you played either game? Is this the right strategy for a publisher looking to crack down on ripoffs? Let us know in the comments below.
