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Curtains called on the ‘Westworld’ Mobile game in the wake of Bethesda Lawsuit

17/01/2019
AnimationXpress Team

The mobile game based on the HBO’s Westworld show is being shut down, the Westworld mobile game’s team announced.

The Westworld mobile game’s team announced the shutting down of their game based on HBO’s Westworld. 

The distribution of the Westworld through the App Store or Google Play was halted on 15 January and that removed from both stores. Although the game can still be played by those who have already downloaded it, it will be fully unavailable to play on April 16th.

 

“We hope you have enjoyed playing Westworld. We are sorry to tell you the park is entering a new phase and will no longer be taking applications for new employees. The game will be removed from the App Store and Google Play on January 15, 2019, and officially closed on April 16, 2019. As of today, you will no longer be able to make in-game purchases. If you have any in-game currency, remember to use it before the game goes offline on April 16, 2019.” said the team in their official statement.

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While it was not mentioned anywhere in the official announcement, hearing about the shutdown announcement quickly brings to mind the recent controversy between Bethesda Softworks and the game’s publisher and developer, Warner Bros. Interactive and Behaviour Interactive, respectively. Bethesda Softworks filed a lawsuit against the two parties responsible for the creation of the Westworld mobile game. The lawsuit alleged that the similarities between the game and Bethesda’s Fallout Shelter were too close and that the Westworld game had copied gameplay elements and other features found in the mobile Fallout game.

Although the reason for the shutdown was not mentioned anywhere in the statement, it is speculated that it could very well be because of Bethesda Softworks lawsuit and the game’s publisher and developer, Warner Bros. Interactive and Behaviour Interactive, respectively. Bethesda Software had filed a lawsuit against the two parties who created the said mobilegame.

The lawsuit alluded to the striking similarities between Bethesda’s Fallout Shelter and the gameplay elements and other features which seemed as though they were directly lifted from the Fallout game. Warner Bros. previously denied the claims in the lawsuit and said no code had been taken from Fallout Shelter for use in Westworld.

Westworld on mobile devices is scheduled to be shut down on 16 April 2019