From Legal War to Unlikely Allies: The surprising resolution of Studio Wildcard and Angela Game's feud

The protracted legal scuffle between Ark: Survival Evolved creator Studio Wildcard and Angela Game, the brains behind the Chinese strategy game Myth of Empires, has concluded. Interestingly, the dueling parties have decided to join forces, planning to relaunch Myth of Empires on Steam and other platforms in early 2024.

It all started in December 2021, right after Myth of Empires debuted on Steam. Studio Wildcard identified some striking resemblances between their game and this new release, which they deemed more than just random similarities. Digging deeper into the Myth of Empires executable’s code headers, the developers alleged that the game was developed using the source code of Ark: Survival Evolved. Snail Games, the parent company of Wildcard, accused key staff of Angela Game, who had formerly been employed by them, of committing the code theft.

The collected evidence directed at Angela Game, which led to the removal of Myth of Empires from Steam, spurred a legal backlash from the accused party demanding the reinstating of their game on the platform. Snail Games and Studio Wildcard replied with more proof pertaining to the alleged theft. An independent investigation conducted by anti-cheat maker BattlEye’s CEO Bastian Suter supported these claims, suggesting that Myth of Empire's executable contained distinctive string codes, many of which were modified 'BattlEye' references.

In a turn of events, after roughly two years of litigation, all parties have reached a truce. Reflecting on the resolution, Angela Game President Yi Leng Zheng stated the company acknowledges the issues it created for Snail, expressing remorse for the past and eagerness for the future partnership. Studio WildCard's co-founder Doug Kennedy echoed this sentiment, showing support for the re-release of Myth of Empires as a beneficial outcome for everyone involved.

Looking forward, part of the settlement involves Snail Games withdrawing the DMCA notice that resulted in the removal of Myth of Empires from Steam in the first place. Snail Games and Angela Game now plan to collaboratively work on the 2024 re-release of the game across several platforms, including PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Despite its turbulent launch, Myth of Empires sustained its players through direct purchases from its website, promising a comeback of this Chinese strategy game on preferred platforms.