New details have been revealed regarding the Knights of the Old Republic 2 false advertisement lawsuit for Switch consoles. This includes an argument made by one expert brought in by Aspyr who stated that the fan-made Restored Content mod the missing DLC was based on had “no economic value”.
This information comes from Game File, which broke down the legal battle between developer Aspyr and an individual who sued the company after DLC advertised in a trailer for the Switch version was cut from the full release.
This report claims Aspyr made several arguments in an attempt to curb the lawsuit, which ended in a settlement earlier this year. These include the claim that the tease for the DLC couldn’t have been widely seen, as it appeared at the end of a YouTube trailer. Aspyr’s own lawyers argued: “Many YouTube viewers skip [videos] after the first five seconds.”
Aspyr also reportedly brought in additional documents in April, including expert testiomy from former Blizzard product manager Frank Gilson. He explained the restored content mod the DLC was based on was fan-made and offered for free. It therefore had no “economic value”, a belief that stemmed from the fact the community creates these mods and doesn’t charge for them.
The lawsuit would progress further onto even more colourful topics, including accusations of demonic possession, stemming from a claim that an Aspyr attorney yelled at his client: “as if possessed by a demon”. This framing was rejected by the attorney in question, who said he raised his voice so he could finish his sentence and return the conversation to “productive discussion”.
There was also the claim it could take decades to learn the appropriate email address in order to get the rights to make a Star Wars game. This comes from a redaction of certain email addresses in documents filed this April. These were redacted as: “[…] they reveal a key trade secret; the identities of the right persons to work with at Lucasfilm to secure access to Lucasfilm intellectual property. Those contacts reflect years, sometimes decades, of work cultivating relationships and revealing them would cause Aspyr lasting business harm.”
For a full breakdown of the legal saga that is the KOTOR 2 Switch port, the story can be read in at Game File for paying subscribers.
While this particular chapter in the Kotor saga was a bit of a messy one, there is hope for fans of the series. During The Game Awards, Fate of the Old Republic was revealed, alongside the news that Casey Hudson would be involved. Hudson was famously involved with the original Knights of the Old Republic game and Mass Effect.
