Ubisoft is suing Apple and Google for refusing to take down a mobile game it insists is a "near carbon copy" of its fan-favourite shooter, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.
Filing the lawsuit on Friday, Ubisoft has taken aim at the two companies after it alleged neither was prepared to take down the mobile close quarters shooter, Area F2, which was released for mobile devices last month.
According to Bloomberg, Ubi says that its "competitors are constantly looking for ways to piggyback on R6S's popularity and to capture the attention, and money, of R6S players" and that this latest release is so alike to its own shooter, the similarities cannot be "seriously be disputed".
Area F2 describes itself on the digital storefronts as "the first Close-Quarters Battle shooting game on mobile" and features fully destructible environments - just like R6S - so "all roofs and walls can be reinforced or destroyed, challenging players' skills and tactics as every wall may become a potential entry point". It also says it offers players the chance to play as "attacker and defender, playing as one of a wide selection of agents, each with [their own] special ability".
"R6S is among the most popular competitive multiplayer games in the world, and is among Ubisoft's most valuable intellectual properties," Ubisoft said. "Virtually every aspect of AF2 is copied from R6S, from the operator selection screen to the final scoring screen, and everything in between."
Neither Google nor Apple - nor Area F2's developer, Alibaba - have opted to talk publicly about the spat just yet.
As we reported a little while back, since launching the latest instalment of the shooter franchise back in 2015, Ubisoft has transformed it from a decent FPS to a globally beloved esports phenomenon. We already know that Siege will be available on next-gen consoles later this year, but it sounds like the game could open up to an even larger audience in the near future by going free-to-play, too.
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Featured Image Credit: UbisoftTopics: Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft