The Real Reason Why Ubisoft Sued Google and Apple Over Area F2
Ubisoft, one of gaming's biggest publishers, decided to go after Area F2, a mobile game. | Source: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
- Ubisoft sued both Apple and Google for the appearance of a ‘Rainbow Six: Siege clone’ on their mobile stores.
- The game in question, Area F2, has now been taken down. With refunds offered to anyone who paid money into the game.
- Why did Ubisoft go after the game if it wasn’t cutting into their business?
Recently, Ubisoft sued both Apple and Google. They were attempting to remove the game Area F2. Apparently they felt that the app was a rip-off of Rainbow Six: Siege.
In fairness, the comparison between the two is pretty damn close. Clearly the developers behind Area F2 were trying to bring Siege to mobile platforms.
And yet, you have to wonder why. It seems unlikely that Area F2 was a serious competitor to them. Siege had accrued $1.1 billion by May of 2019 after all .
So if that’s true, why even bother going after some mobile port rip-off?
Area f2 Was Getting in the Way of Rainbow Six: Siege
Even though Rainbow Six: Siege is not a mobile game, Area F2 was still in its way. There is a very real possibility that Siege will eventually be made available on mobile platforms.
After all, both Call of Duty and Fortnite have done insanely well on mobile platforms. It wouldn’t make any sense for Ubisoft to not at least be considering bringing their widely successful shooter to massive marketplaces like Google Play and the App Store.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that we’re anywhere near Rainbox Six: Siege actually coming to mobile devices. This lawsuit seems very defensive. More like it’s about keeping the option of a mobile port available, even if they’re not acting on it right now.
Ubisoft Got What They Wanted
It’s not too shocking that the Area F2 developers buckled under the pressure. Ubisoft is one of the biggest companies in gaming. They have a lot of legal and financial weight to throw around.
So the fact that Area F2 is no longer available probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. The company has even said they’ll refund people who spent money on the game, which is a pretty consumer-friendly move on their part.
Regardless of what happens in the future, it is a shame that a technologically impressive title is now gone forever. Clearly, Area F2 is going to be missed by its fans .
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
