James Delahunty
4 Dec 2005 7:57
Electronic Arts Inc., one of the world's biggest video game companies is facing a lawsuit from a game developer accusing the company of stealing an idea for a game feature. He says that the features are included in Madden NFL 06. Electronic Arts denies that it stole any game features from Virtual Jam owner Pernell Harris. "We have read the complaint and the allegations are completely without merit," an EA spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday.
Specifically, Harris has met with EA in late 2003 to discuss "Heart of a Champion," a football game that he was developing. In the game, the user guides a player from school to professional football, handling all sorts of daily activities including sports and school homework. Harris claims that EA stole some of the features he had revealed to the company. He accused EA of breaching an "implied in fact contract" for using the features without compensating him.
The lawsuit was filed on November 28th with the California Superior Court in San Mateo County. Harris is seeking unspecified damages, attorney's fees and restitution. Madden is one of the world's best selling video game properties, accounting for $232 million in sales in 2004.
Source:
Reuters