An independent game developer has launched a fundraising campaign claiming Activision is suing him over the name of his game. “Activision is suing me for being an independent developer,” a developer named Randy said on GoFundMe. He says the company accused him of “stealing names” and sued him for it because of an independent game called Warzone, which he first released in 2017.
Independent developer says he’s being sued by Activision
Randy, who says he loves to make games and has devoted more than 10 years of his life to making a single game, says he developed WarLight, a turn-based strategy game, and released it as a sequel to Warzone. Randy, who says that this game has been his only source of income for a decade and that he is now working on developing this game as a full-time job, says he hopes to continue working on it for the rest of his life.
The developer, who said he was surprised activision got the name Warzone, said he was the first person to use a name under trademark law. Just as someone can’t make a game called “Minecraft” today, he emphasizes that a game called Warzone is made by him and is subject to this rule. He also says activision “doesn’t think the law applies to them.” “Even though I released a game called Warzone years ago, they’re suing me to prevent me from claiming my rights to the Warzone trademark!”
Activision said in its lawsuit that “it is inconceivable that any member of the public would confuse the two products.” Developer Randy says he’s often reached out to people who mix up two games. He says he told people that Warzone and Call of Duty: Warzone were different games and that they should contact Activision.
The developer of Call of Duty: Warzone claims to have repeatedly marketed and promoted CoD: Warzone as part of the series as evidence in the official case. According to developer Randy, they swiped their logos up to remove the words Call of Duty and left a black space at the bottom. Activision made changes to the game’s logo to justify itself in the lawsuit, the developer said.
The independent developer says all the money he will earn in his fundraising campaign will be used to fight the company legally. The developer, who has now raised $17,468 of his $50,000 goal, also reveals details in his fundraising campaign. Activision has not yet commented on the matter, and we will try to keep you up to date as quickly as we can. Don’t forget to share your feedback in the comments.
