Blizzard sues Chinese game developer that ‘almost entirely copied’ Warcraft

Chinese game developer Sina Games has been hit with a lawsuit by Blizzard Entertainment that claims its free-to-play Glorious Saga copied the World of Warcraft series (via Polygon).

Blizzard Entertainment filed the lawsuit on August 16 for the ‘serious and irreparable harm to Blizzard and its business’, as Sina Games has ‘almost entirely copied from the Warcraft games and related products’ with Glorious Saga. In recompense, Blizzard would like ‘$150,000 per infringed work,’ including legal fees and other ‘just and appropriate’ expenses.

‘Every monster, creature, animal, and vehicle in the Infringing Game was copied from the Warcraft games,’ the lawsuit states. ‘Weapons, amulets, and other objects were taken straight from the Warcraft games, without pretense. Audio cues and sound effects from the Warcraft games were reproduced for the Infringing Game.’ Glorious Saga — also known by its Western title of Glorious World — has allegedly lifted Warcraft names and likenesses such as Jaina Proudmoore, Illidan Stormrage, Grommash Hellscream, Gul’dan, and Malfurion.

According to Blizzard’s lawyers, Marc E. Mayer and Mark C. Humphrey from law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, Sina Games has ‘profited handsomely’ from copying the Warcraft games. Through this, it gained ‘thousands of consumers’ for its own real time strategy mobile title. Honestly, it doesn’t look good for the Chinese game company. The Glorious Saga icon in the App Store even looks oh-too-similar to the Battle of Azeroth artwork, with a green-skinned orc glaring at a human character. 

Neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Sina Games have commented publicly on the lawsuit as yet.