Bethesda Sues Warner Bros. After Calling Their ‘Westworld’ Game A Blatant Rip-Off

Bethesda is suing Warner Bros. after they released a game based on their wildly popular TV show, Westworld. The suit alleges that Warner Bros. Westworld game is a “blatant rip-off” of their Fallout Shelter mobile game that was released in 2015. Both games were developed in part by Behaviour Interactive, and both games are incredibly similar. In Bethesda’s lawsuit, they are alleging that Warner Bros. and Behaviour used “the same, or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features and other gameplay elements” as Behaviour did while working on Fallout Shelter. 

If Bethesda’s allegations prove true, it could spell an early demise for the Westworld game. Bethesda is asking payment for damages from Warner Bros. as well as a stoppage of the game’s sale. They are also accusing Behaviour of a “breach of contract” because of the use of Bethesda’s intellectual property, to help speed up the development of the game. While there’s several games out now from the same studios as previous titles, Bethesda definitely has a point here. Before I was even aware of the suit, I downloaded the Westworld game and immediately noticed how identical it was to Fallout Shelter. 

The games both share really similar elements including a double tap to zoom in and out of chambers, character creation, and more specifically navigation and interaction. Honestly, if Westworld was set in a post-apocalyptic setting, and not the wild west, I’d be willing to bet you wouldn’t be able to tell these games apart. 

Fallout Shelter first appeared on mobile device in 2015, and then eventually made available on consoles. While there’s been no actual date set for a trial, I’d have to imagine that Bethesda has one hell of a case here. You don’t even have to be a gamer to see that these games are essentially fraternal twins. The problem with that is, one of the siblings very obviously doesn’t like to share.