Square Enix sues former Front Mission developer, claiming that it has used assets without permission for its own game

Square Enix has accused BlackJack Studio, a developer it collaborated with on the now-cancelled Front Mission revival, of using assets that were originally created for the game in its new title.

The details:

• Square Enix announced in April 2022 that it had partnered with mobile developer BlackJack Studio to create Front Mission 2089: Borderscape, a revival of its classic tactical RPG and shooter franchise. However, in October of last year, it was confirmed that the project had been canceled for undisclosed reasons, with BlackJack Studio later announcing Mecharashi, which features a "Front Mission-style combat system."

• As reported by Polygon, Square Enix has now filed a lawsuit against its former partner in a Seattle court, accusing the studio of using assets from the cancelled Front Mission project. In the court documents, the Final Fantasy publisher included a number of images comparing Borderscape's prototype to the new game, revealing some striking similarities between them. Square has also filed a lawsuit in Japan regarding infringement of the Front Mission IP.

• Square is requesting $150,000 in compensation "for each copyright infringed" as well as the removal of the game from all storefronts. Since the lawsuit's filing, the game has been removed from Steam before reappearing shortly thereafter, indicating that Square may have issued a DMCA takedown.

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