Ubisoft have sued Apple and Google, for selling Area F2 on their app stores. They claim the game is a “near carbon copy” of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.
Bloomberg reports that Ubisoft sued Apple and Google for selling Area F2 [1, 2, 3], developed by Qookka Games. Though Bloomberg do cite the game was “created” (most likely published) by Hong Kong-based Ejoy.com Limited, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.
Both games feature special forces operatives with numerous characters, each with their own weapons and abilities. Players are either “attackers” or “defenders” in multiplayer matches, attempting to complete or inhibit an objective. Players may also reinforce doors with barricades, use drones for surveillance, and shoot through or break walls, ceilings, and floors.
The operators (or agents in Area F2) are made up of various nationalities, divided into the roles of attackers or defenders. Each has a codename, and attribute scores (out of three) for their armor, speed, and difficulty.
Each character also has a main weapon, a secondary weapon, and two gadgets. In the case of Rainbow Six Siege, the latter is a gadget and a unique ability- though the ability usually comes in the form of a piece of equipment or technology.
You can find a trailer for Area F2 below.
The filing (obtained by Bloomberg) was filed in a federal court in Los Angeles on May 15th. It reportedly stated the game was a “near carbon copy” of Rainbow Six Siege, that cannot “seriously be disputed.”
“R6S is among the most popular competitive multiplayer games in the world, and is among Ubisoft’s most valuable intellectual properties,” Ubisoft stated. “Virtually every aspect of AF2 is copied from R6S, from the operator selection screen to the final scoring screen, and everything in between.”
“Ubisoft’s competitors are constantly looking for ways to piggyback on R6S’s popularity and to capture the attention, and money, of R6S players.” Ubisoft have reportedly told Apple and Google that the game infringes on its copyrights.
Google representatives reportedly had (in Bloomberg’s words) “no immediate comment on the lawsuit.” Alibaba and Apple also did not “immediately” respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment, though Bloomberg notes that the request was made “after regular business hours.”
It is curious that Ubisoft have taken legal action against the sellers, rather than the developer or publisher (as far as we know). Mobile game stores have been known to have a reputation of being inundated with many titles that are “heavily inspired,” by major franchises and recent smash hits [1, 2, 3].
At this time, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is not available on mobile devices.
Image: Google Play
