Square Enix and publisher HK Ten Tree Limited (hereafter Ten Tree) have agreed to settle the legal dispute regarding the latter’s turn-based mecha TRPG Mecharashi (Metal Storm). The announcement was made via Ten Tree’s official homepage on May 23.
Square Enix’s lawsuit, filed on March 13 this year, claimed that Ten Tree illegally used assets that were originally created for Front Mission 2089: Borderscape. Ten Tree was initially granted a license to develop the new Front Mission title, but the agreement was terminated in 2022 due to the game being cancelled. Two years later, Ten Tree released the Front Mission-reminiscent mobile game Mecharashi in Japan and China, with plans for a US release. Square Enix argued that this new game used assets that were created under the now-void licensing agreement, constituting infringement.
Ten Tree was quick to respond to the lawsuit, publicly acknowledging the case and swapping out Mecharashi’s assets around the end of March. According to the latest update, the two parties have reached a mutual settlement, with Square Enix terminating the lawsuit as of May 20. While the conditions of the settlement are not known, Ten Tree suggests that Mecharashi will resume services normally. Square Enix had originally requested that the courts block Mecharashi from being released in the US until the copyrighted materials were replaced, while demanding compensation of $150,000 USD per copyright infringement. It seems Ten Tree was able replace infringing assets to a satisfactory degree.
