Disney’s Lorcana Lawsuit: What We Know So Far
Things might be getting a little murky for the newest addition to the House of Mouse.
The Disney Lorcana TCG, expected to be released on August 18th of this year, has come under fire recently. Upper Deck, a rival CCG company to Lorcana‘s Ravensburger, has alleged that Ryan Miller, co-designer of Lorcana, stole intellectual property when he was employed there.
According to a complaint filed by the company, the rules and design for Lorcana closely resemble their Rush of Ikorr TCG, which was also set to be released this year. Miller worked on the project during his time with Upper Deck, and the lawsuit claims he stole and copied proprietary content for use with Lorcana. A statement recovered by Polygon reads as follows:
“Throughout Miller’s time as lead game designer of Rush of Ikorr Miller had direct access to Upper Deck’s confidential, proprietary information, including, without limitation, Rush of Ikorr draft rules, concepts, components, designs, marketing strategies, and plans for implementation. On information and belief, Miller maintained access to these things even after terminating his relationship with Upper Deck and used, referenced, and/or otherwise relied on them to create Lorcana for Ravensburger. […]
Rather than allow Miller to honor the Agreements and their terms, Upper Deck is informed and believes that Ravensburger induced and intended for Miller to breach his obligations so that it could capitalize on Miller’s knowledge of the elements of the Rush of Ikorr game so he could make a near-identical game for it. This allowed Ravensburger to gain a competitive advantage, an accelerated launch, and bring a nearly identical TCG to market under a different brand.”
The complaint also demands relief payments, punitive damages, and the delay of Lorcana‘s release, among other things. Upper Deck claims that they invested considerable time, money, and effort in the creation of Rush of Ikorr, and calls into question Miller’s intent in the rules work for Lorcana. During his time with Upper Deck, Miller worked on Rush of Ikorr, and had access to sensitive information about rules, lore, and gameplay. Upper Deck claims he used this information to make Lorcana, then attempt to release it faster to undermine Rush of Ikorr’s release.
Ravensburger has responded to the claims, calling them, “baseless and entirely without merit,” according to a release shared with Dicebreaker by Ravensburger’s North American senior communications director Lisa Krueger. The statement continues that Ravensburger stands behind the integrity of its artists and staff and that they plan to continue with the scheduled August launch.
A full transcript of the complaint can be accessed from Polygon here. We will share more about this situation as it develops.
