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Crytek Sues Star Citizen Developer Over Copyright Infringement

Will this case be settled by the time the game releases?

Chris Jarrard

December 13, 2017 11:40 AM

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FarCry and Crysis developer Crytek filed paperwork with the California Central District Court today to bring a lawsuit against Roberts Space Industries and Cloud Imperium Games, the developers of Star Citizen. The Star Citizen project licensed Crytek’s CryEngine to build the ever-growing space game. The documents filed by Crytek allege that Cloud Imperium Games infringed its copyrights by using CryEngine to develop non-Star Citizen game assets. The filling specifically refers to Squadron 42 project.

Crytek argues that it was never compensated for the use of the engine for Squadron 42 and that it expected the standard upfront payment and royalties arrangements that are common when licensing an engine. Crytek has accused Cloud Imperium Games of removing Crytek logos from marketing materials and splash screens. They are also a bit miffed that project lead Chris Roberts has been referring to the engine as Star Engine rather than CryEngine. Shacknews previously reported on an engine switch related the project.

Squadron 42 has been delayed numerous times and has no firm release date. The development team is expected to provide a detailed status report on the project sometime this month. Should Crytek’s claims have merit, extracting compensation from Roberts Space Industries may be a bit of a hassle, as one Star Citizen backer attempting to receive a refund has discovered.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.