Ark: Survival Evolved has gathered quite a bit of a following, with players taking to the island in hopes of finding answers while building new technology and training dinosaurs. From riding on a pterodactyl to building a base on a brontosaurus, players are eagerly awaiting the next set of features but they may have to wait as the court answers the question, who created Ark: Survival Evolved?
The question is being raised by Trendy Entertainment, the creators of popular co-operative game Dungeon Defenders. In a lawsuit filed against Wildcard, the studio credit with Ark: Survival evolved, Trendy alleges that game designer Jeremy Stieglitz had in fact been secretly working on Ark since he resigned from his position at Trendy in 2015.
The lawsuit states that Trendy violated his contract which stated he could not compete with his former company and was told: “not to solicit Trendy employees”. If this wasn’t enough on April 27th the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida will hear arguments regarding Trendy’s most recent motion and will ask for an injunction until the case is over.
If an injunction sounds bad then you are hearing it right. The injunction would, in fact, stop development on Ark: Survival Evolved and even force Wildcard to remove the game from Steam and stop them from distributing it until the case was closed. Wildcard has yet to file briefs in defence but has requested the case be dismissed on the grounds that the claims are “irrelevant, immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous.”
If you like the game, grab it soon because it may come down to the modders to keep the game alive while the court case is ongoing.
