Trendy Entertainment, developer of Dungeon Defenders, filed a lawsuit late last year against Studio Wildcard, developer of ARK: Survival Evolved. According to documentation (case # 012015 CA 004491 and case # 022016 CA 000493), Trendy accuses former employee Jeremy Stieglitz of using proprietary tech developed during his tenure with the company and that several employees have been 'poached' from Trendy to work for Studio Wildcard since he left in 2014. The allegations leveled imply that this is in violation of severance agreements made between Stieglitz and Trendy on his resignation.
The lawsuit, which is ongoing, is filled with allegations about Stieglitz and his involvement with Ark: Survival Evolved. Wildcard’s leadership has denied that Stieglitz played a major role in the game’s creation, but Trendy argues otherwise, and they’ve filed for “injunctive relief and damages” in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida. On April 27, the court will hear arguments on Trendy’s most recent motion, which asks for a temporary injunction until the case is settled. If granted, the injunction could temporarily halt development on Ark: Survival Evolved and even force Wildcard to pull the game from Steam as the lawsuit continues.
A full report on the court proceedings can be read at Kotaku.
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