Disney Lorcana publisher Ravensburger is being sued by trading card rival Upper Deck Company in a move which threatens to postpone the highly anticipated game’s release date.
As reported by Polygon, the lawsuit filed on June 7 alleges Lorcana co-designer Ryan Miller created a “nearly identical” game called Rush of Ikorr while under contract at Upper Deck.
The company is seeking an injunction that would delay Lorcana’s launch, currently set for August 18, while also demanding punitive damages, restitution, and “injunctive relief enjoining Ravensburger from publicly releasing Lorcana”.
An Upper Deck press release labelled Lorcana a “stolen game” and said the company is suing Ravensburger and Miller for “stealing and copying Upper Deck’s original game which Ravensburger repackaged and marketed as Lorcana”.
“We invested significant time and resources to develop a new and novel trading card game,” added Upper Deck president Jason Mashera. “We want gamers and fans to continue enjoying and having access to unique, innovative and immersive trading card games.
“We encourage competition in the industry, but also strongly believe in playing by the rules to ensure the gaming community benefits from the different creative choices by each manufacturer.”
IGN has contacted Ravensburger for comment.
Lorcana was announced last year as a new rival to the likes of Magic: The Gathering and the Pokémon TCG, though one with the likes of Frozen, Robin Hood, and some of the world’s other biggest IP behind it.
The game, which promises to put players before collectors in a world where Magic: The Gathering cards can cost $1 million, revealed its first set, The First Chapter, in January.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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