A lawsuit has been targeted at Netflix for terminating a video game development contract based on the upcoming science fiction epic movie Rebel Moon from director Zack Snyder.
Game studio Evil Genius Games has claimed that it had been working closely with the streaming giant to develop an RPG tabletop game, which was set to release in conjunction with the film for the Christmas season. However, according to the studio, after months of collaboration, Netflix pulled the plug.
“Just weeks after the work was finalised and turned over to Netflix, Netflix did a complete about-face,” reads the lawsuit. It claims that the streaming service “accused Plaintiff of breaching the Agreement’s confidentiality provisions —’ and Netflix’s trust’ — by allegedly releasing confidential Rebel Moon content at a trade show, and then disclosing unapproved artwork for the Rebel Moon game to retailers.”
Evil Genius Games states they had full permission to distribute the artwork at the 2023 Game Manufacturers Association Exposition and even claim that two members of Netflix staff helped them with the material to “create some industry buzz.”
Prior to the relationship souring, the game studio asserts that they did their job, delivering a 228-page World Bible that expanded upon and fleshed out the Rebel Moon world created by Snyder – even supplying “all the missing pieces” and “a cohesive backstory for the entire Rebel Moon franchise” to fill-in missing information in Snyder’s first draft of the script.
The company also handed in a 430-page Player’s Guide and a 337-page Game Master’s Guide. “It became clear,” the lawsuit says, “that Netflix was simply using the alleged breach and termination to hijack [Evil Genius’] intellectual property and prevent [Evil Genius] from releasing the game.”
“Our aim is to ensure our team is recognized for their fantastic work, and that we can release this game for millions of TTRPG enthusiasts to enjoy,” said Evi, Genius CEO David Scott. “It’s disheartening to see Netflix backpedal on content that was jointly showcased and had received their prior consent. We urge our supporters to contact Netflix and Zack Snyder to push for the release of this game.”
