Sued From Orbit: Gearbox & Sega Facing Aliens Lawsuit
Did Sega and Gearbox create a false impression of the final quality of Aliens: Colonial Marines? That's now a legal matter, for lawyers to battlerap about and judges to scorecard (lawsuits are much more entertaining in my head). Multi-faceted games site Polygon has obtained a lawsuit that was filed yesterday, claiming that both companies falsely advertised their troubled Alien troubler, showing off demos to the public that were unrepresentative of the released game.
Citing lawfirm Edelson LLC, on behalf of plaintiff Damion Perrine, (ooh, I feel all legal - get me a gavel. No, a bigger one!), the suit alleges that the review embargo lifting on the same day that the game was released meant that people who bought it before then would have no inclination that the demonstrations would not resemble the final game. It's a notion that holds some weight, as the lovely Videogamer pointed out.
"Each of the 'actual gameplay' demonstrations purported to show consumers exactly what they would be buying: a cutting edge video game with very specific features and qualities," quoth the lawsuit. "Unfortunately for their fans, Defendants never told anyone — consumers, industry critics, reviewers, or reporters — that their 'actual gameplay' demonstration advertising campaign bore little resemblance to the retail product that would eventually be sold to a large community of unwitting purchasers."
The suit is seeking damages for people that bought the game before the release date. I didn't buy it, but I would like to have the time I spent playing it refunded, and the sad hole it left in my heart repaired. Thanks.
Well done, Polygon. Have a biscuit.