Ubisoft has confirmed it has dropped its high-profile lawsuit against Apple and Google after a mobile game it alleged was a "near carbon copy" of its fan-favourite shooter, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, was removed from both the Google Play and App stores.
Ubisoft took aim at the two companies last week after it alleged neither megacorp was prepared to take down the mobile close quarters shooter, Area F2, which was released for mobile devices last month.
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Insisting that its "competitors are constantly looking for ways to piggyback on R6S's popularity and to capture the attention, and money, of R6S players", Ubisoft said the similarities between the mobile game and its own shooter were so brazen, they could not "seriously be disputed".
"R6S is among the most popular competitive multiplayer games in the world, and is among Ubisoft's most valuable intellectual properties," Ubisoft said at the time. "Virtually every aspect of AF2 is copied from R6S, from the operator selection screen to the final scoring screen, and everything in between."
While neither Google nor Apple discussed the case publicly, the game has now been quietly removed from both stores. Area F2's developer, Alibaba has declined from talking publicly about the incident, too, but in a post on Area F2's website, the developer confirmed the "current version" of the game was terminated on 20th May, 2020, and invited players to apply for refunds for any payments they might have made, including those in the beta phase.
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As we reported a little while back, since launching the latest instalment of the Rainbow Six shooter franchise back in 2015, Ubisoft has transformed it from a decent FPS to a globally beloved esports phenomenon. We already know that Siege will be available on next-gen consoles later this year, but it sounds like the game could open up to an even larger audience in the near future by going free-to-play, too.
What other mobile game do you think might scratch that R6S itch? Tell us all about your favourite mobile FPS - join our community and talk to us via Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: UbisoftTopics: Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft