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Glu Mobile is suing Vancouver-based studio Hothead after claiming the developer’s mobile game Kill Shot is “effectively a complete ripoff” of its own title, Deer Hunter.
Hothead’s Kill Shot involves players taking on spec ops missions and killing people, while Deer Hunter tasks users with hunting wildlife.
But as reported by Gamesbeat, despite the differences in theme, Glu is adamant that its work has been ripped off. The firm is suing Hothead for copyright infringement and trade dress infringement – which claims similarities between the visual appearance of both games.
Court documents submitted by the publisher claim that Hothead has copied Deer Hunter’s tutorial, UI, controls and virtual economy, and even flaws in the game. One example includes a miscategorised assault rifle that appears in both titles.
“Kill Shot is effectively a complete ripoff of our game Deer Hunter 2014,” said Glu president of publishing Chris Akhavan.
“The only difference is that in Kill Shot, you are shooting humans. In our game, you are shooting deer and other animals.”
He added: “We think they spent months replicating our game. We have never initiated a lawsuit like this, and have never seen anything on this scale. We are also puzzled why they chose to go this route. It’s shocking how they went about it.”
We have reached out to Hothead Games for comment.
