Last month lawyers for Bethesda Softworks sent a lengthy letter to developer Mojang, claiming that the Minecraft studio’s upcoming card-based strategy game, Scrolls, was too close for comfort to Bethesda’s flagship franchise, The Elder Scrolls. With The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim right around the corner, Bethesda requested that Notch and company rename Scrolls to avoid any potential confusion.
We didn’t take the request too seriously. Judging by Notch’s suggestion the case be settled with a Quake match, neither did he.
Earlier this morning, however, Notch tweeted that the case was going to court. So yes, things are serious now. So serious that Notch briefly tweeted a Washington Post from 1992 involving Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media CEO Robert Altman being indicted on felony charges in New York, before removing the angry tweet and apologizing.
I wish Notch and crew the best of luck. I believe there’s room in the world for two Scrolls games. As Minecraft‘s daddy himself has pointed out, this is a world where Bethesda’s Rage can coexist with the classic beat-em up Streets of Rage, so anything is possible.
Bethesda vs. Scrolls case going to court [Eurogamer]
scott
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:32 AMNotch had the best idea about the quake match to settle this bullshit claim, just goes to show who are the gamers and who are the money grubbing whores…
Steven Bogos
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 8:10 AMbut they’re not gamers. They’re lawyers. They are paid to exploit as many legal loopholes as possible to turn a profit, not to play quake
scott
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11:54 AMit’s not the lawyers sueing, there just doing a job. why do i have to point that out?
Adam Jensen
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 8:38 AMBecause yeah, Everyone thinks of the Elder Scrolls game as “Scrolls”.
Not “Morrowind”, “Oblivion” or “Daggerfall”.
TRed
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 9:09 AMThis lawsuit is just plain odd. I hope Mojang come out of this unscathed.
Azza
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 9:12 AMI don’t think most people have even heard of “Elder Scrolls”.
If Skyrim didn’t look so good, I’m sure Notch could have gotten a mass boycott going…
Ruen
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 9:13 AMIf Bethesda win this case I hope to god Sega show up and sue them for the same reason regarding Rage/Streets of Rage
Batguy
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 9:39 AMAs amusing as the (Streets of) Rage point is, it’s not quite the same – Both “Scrolls” and “The Elder Scrolls V” are going to be released to the market in proximity to each other, rather than 20 years apart.
THXultra
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 10:15 AMAnd all Notch had to do was think of a better name, why would you even want the name of your new game to sound anything like anyone elses anyways? He may as well of called the game “Gathering” in my opinion!
El Phantasmogoro
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11:17 AMSo any title that has been used in any other product is a bad idea? God help anyone who wants to use a verb, noun or adjective in a name!
Joshy206
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 1:08 PMThen by Bethesda’s logic he’ll get sued by Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Gathering.
Dr. Jero
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11:53 AMSurely I can’t be the only one who would wish Notch would just changed the name. I find it annoying that an indie developer is (By one way or another) slightly hindering Skyrim for me… Scrolls isn’t even a very good name, it sounds like something of flash game quality.
Lachlan
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 1:19 PMI agree about the ‘scrolls’ name sounding like a flash game quality game.
JJ
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 2:35 PMNotch is a stubborn coward when he asked for a match to determine this.
I have always seen it as elder scrolls because I could never choose a favourite between the 3. (Soon 4) I would understand using the name if there has not been any elder scrolls in awhile, but around the same time as skyrim?
Smells like a marketing scheme to get some more spotlight if you ask me.
Supreme
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 6:33 PMFuck that fat fuck Notch! Bethesda makes a 100000 billion times better games than he ever will.
Snacuum
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 6:55 PMCompanies would still be dicks to each other anyways, but to me you see, the problem may have never happened if Notch didn’t set the SAME RELEASE DATE
I mean who cares what your competition call their game when it releases after the hype?
Sean
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:05 PM2011 – THE SCROLL WARS.
pk
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 8:05 PMNotch is an attention seeking whore. The name is not even that good…
That Guy
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 10:03 PMThey thing I find the most amusing is how around e3 Todd Howard and Notch came off as old buddies (I remember one video where they interviewed each other). There’s a reason I always hated dealing with the legal system.
Palstran
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11:08 PMThe thing is the game is ABOUT scrolls. Rolled up bits of paper. You collect them and use them to play the game. Why should a company have rights over common words.
If they think it will have any affect on their sales they must be crazy. Scrolls probably won’t even get a retail release. The only thing they could be upset about is that it might come up a higher hit on google when you type scrolls.
Palstran
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11:10 PMHa when I googled scrolls. Elder scrolls was about 10th. Cinnamon Scrolls was higher.
scott
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 12:20 AMsend in the lawyers1
tomaytto
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 10:52 PMI feel like my parents are getting a divorce right now
duke nukem
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 7:49 AMwhat will happen is if anyone so much as writes the word scrolls in any form of media they will be sued assuming bethesda win which they won’t because this is a retarded move on bethesdas part oh and yes my name is duke nukem blame my ancestors