Subnautica studio Unknown Worlds files lawsuit against ousted founders for allegedly downloading over 170,000 confidential files (www.gamedeveloper.com)
from Prox@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world on 21 Aug 14:30
https://lemmy.world/post/34773109

After filing a lawsuit against Krafton, Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill are now being sued by their former employer for purportedly making off with reams of confidential information including business records, intellectual property, and more.

#games

threaded - newest

Prox@lemmy.world on 21 Aug 14:33 next collapse

I’m really sad to watch this slow-motion train crash continue to play out. Subnautica 2 was a guaranteed hit thanks to the strength of the first game, and somehow the new studio owners have completely fucked that to pieces. Truly a masterclass in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Agent_Karyo@lemmy.world on 21 Aug 15:01 next collapse

Almost feels like an elaborate (and nerdy) satirical skit of some sort.

hornedfiend@sopuli.xyz on 21 Aug 19:04 next collapse

I’m sad to see it happen to Last Epoch too. Both great games, both Krafton owned now. Truly sad…

TheHotze@lemmy.world on 22 Aug 23:05 next collapse

This is why you don’t sell out to altera krafton.

echodot@feddit.uk on 24 Aug 04:33 collapse

But why sell out? They had a guaranteed hit on their hands why did they need to sell the IP to a publisher and not just any publisher but one with a history of ruining good projects.

Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world on 21 Aug 15:19 next collapse

In addition, the company […] wants to be awarded all rights, title and interest in any intellectual property developed by Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill during their employment at Unknown Worlds, including “all movie scripts, movie footage, game design, game code, play tests, or other software development.”

Ugh.

troed@fedia.io on 21 Aug 16:30 next collapse

Somewhat depending on national laws then well yeah that's usually what you agree to by becoming employed.

brisk@aussie.zone on 21 Aug 23:24 collapse

In some places that’s legal. In no places is that moral

carotte@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 22 Aug 01:47 next collapse

this is ZA/UM all over again

echodot@feddit.uk on 24 Aug 04:36 collapse

That’s a fairly standard thing.

That’s why if you are ever developing anything you never do it on company computers, it’s always on your own devices and on your own time. Yet time and time again supposedly smart people load up their side project on work computers.

athairmor@lemmy.world on 21 Aug 18:01 next collapse

They had one of the coolest games with a lot of faithful fans and they blew it all up by selling out to a shitty company that is focused on squeezing properties for more and more money.

The only people I have sympathy for are the fans.

Hadriscus@jlai.lu on 21 Aug 19:17 collapse

and the developers ! the little hands ! the ones that, uh… make the game ! some class solidarity

Zikeji@programming.dev on 21 Aug 21:33 next collapse

I’m going to wait on the outcome of these lawsuits and the discovery process before I lean one way or the other.

Kolanaki@pawb.social on 21 Aug 23:28 collapse

The wildest thing to me about this whole thing is that the company says one of the three founders took company money to invest in a personal film project, but when you look into what film project they are referring to, it is an ad campaign for subnautica 2 that the company itself told him to make.