Square Enix sues to stop a ‘Front Mission-style’ game releasing in the West, claiming asset theft

Square Enix has sued a mobile game developer it previously worked with, claiming it’s using assets from a cancelled title they worked on together.

A failed business deal between Square Enix and mobile developer BlackJack Studio has now led to a lawsuit from the former, who alleges that the latter is using assets from that failed deal in its new game.

The lawsuit, filed on March 13 in Seattle, says that BlackJack Studio – identified through its parent company, HK Ten Tree Limited – is using assets from a cancelled mobile Front Mission game in its newest title, Metal Storm. The 26-page document includes screenshots and other examples of the alleged infringement.

The suit aims to block Metal Storm from releasing in the West on these grounds, saying that BlackJack “deliberately and intentionally copied protectable expression from the Licensed Game in Metal Storm, including but not limited to mecha designs, characters, game mechanics, and other creative elements.” Square is also looking for “maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each copyright infringed.”

The two companies came together to develop Front Mission 2089: Borderscape, which was announced in April 2022. According to the lawsuit, Square Enix cancelled the game and terminated the deal with BlackJack a few months later, in October 2022.

Square Enix also filed a complaint in Tokyo District Court on March 5, according to court documents, in regards to “infringement of its intellectual property rights in Front Mission 2089: Borderscape pursuant to the laws of Japan.”

Metal Storm, known as Mecharashi in China and Japan, is described by BlackJack on the game’s official Steam listing as a “mecha-themed tactical turn-based game” with customizable mechs and more.

Notably, the Steam description also directly mentions Square Enix’s IP, describing the game’s “Front Mission-style combat system.”