Valorant is a tactical multiplayer team-based first-person shooter developed by Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, with a focus on esports. The game resembles a mix of CS:GO (gameplay and map design), Team Fortress (visual style), Overwatch (unique characters, active use of abilities) and the studio's own solutions.
Riot Games sues NetEase over Valorant clone
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Popular Publisher Riot Games sued mobile game developer Hyper Front NetEase for copying their successful PC game Valorant. The company has filed lawsuits in several countries, including the UK, Germany, Brazil and Singapore, according to Riot Games lawyer Dan Nabel Polygon.
The lawsuits vary slightly from one country to another depending on their respective copyright laws, but according to Nabel, they were all filed on the grounds that Hyper Front is "a copy of essential parts of Valorant" as stated by Riot's lawyers in the UK filing. .
Riot Games accuses NetEase of replicating in-game Valorant elements in Hyper Front
The American video game publisher said NetEase copied features, characters, weapons, maps and other in-game items from Valorant for Hyper Front, which launched earlier this year for Android and iOS devices. The mobile game was named "Project M" during its beta testing phase in 2021.
Nabe told Polygon:
“All of our creative choices are reflected in the NetEase game. We don't think that changing the color of a character's ability or a slight change in appearance changes the fact that it's copyright infringement. It's like the old saying, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Riot Games is on a legal path to force NetEase to shut down Hyper Front. The company also requested coverage for "substantial" losses, but did not provide any figures.
Nabe further stated:
“We don't want to rely on one particular market to solve this problem. NetEase is a global publisher, just like us. We want them to know that we take this matter very seriously."
This is not the first time NetEase has been sued for copyright infringement. Krafton previously filed a lawsuit against them in US District Court for copying several PUBG elements in the Knives Out and Rules of Survival games.
Since its launch, Hyper Front has generated over 1 million downloads and even hosted several regional tournaments. The title recently completed the Elite Cup competition in the Americas region which had a total prize pool of $50K and was won by Furious Gaming.
Upcoming game Valorant-Mobile by Riot Games is currently under development and is predicted to revolutionize the mobile gaming industry. The free-to-play shooter is expected to release in 2023. Based on previously leaked gameplay, the mobile version will have a lot in common with the PC version.
Valorant was launched for Microsoft Windows on June 2, 2020 and has gained immense popularity ever since. With a huge fan base and impressive revenue, the game has hosted several major esports events with gigantic prize pools.
As mobile games become more advanced every day, the publisher has decided to launch a mobile port of Valorant. The development was officially confirmed by the company for the first time in June 2021, creating a lot of excitement among mobile gamers.
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