Entertainment and collectables company, Upper Deck, has announced they are suing Ravensburger and a former game designer over allegedly “stealing and copying Upper Deck’s original game” and repackaging and marketing it as Lorcana.
Disney’s first major foray into the trading card game (TCG) space, Lorcana features an immersive world where players take on the role of powerful mages known as Illumineers. In your journey, you’ll utilize six types of magical ink that bring iconic Disney heroes, villains, songs, and items to life. It is set to be released on August 18, 2023.
According to the complaint document, former Upper Deck employee, Ryan Miller, signed and breached two contracts while working for the company. As a “Work for Hire” lead game designer, Miller allegedly “attended the 2018 Gaming Summit” and helped to cultivate the game concept for Upper Deck’s card game, Rush of Ikorr. According to the document, Upper Deck agreed to pay Miller to “create and design a TCG that could be played both in physical and digital form.” Upon completing his contractual obligations, Miller’s contract was terminated, at which point he began working with Lorcana developer, Ravensburger.
Upper Deck states that after the public announcement of Lorcana late last year, an inspection of the rules and gameplay were found to be “nearly identical” to Rush of Ikorr, and as such, were a result of Miller having stolen Upper Deck’s intellectual property.
Upper Deck President, Jason Masherah, released the following statement on the situation: “We invested significant time and resources to develop a new and novel trading card game. Our current leadership values the importance of protecting intellectual property of both Upper Deck and its licensors…”.
The list of complaints against Miller and Ravensburger include breach of contract, fraud, breach of written contract, and more.
Neither Miller, Ravensburger, or Disney have issued a statement at this time.
Read the original statement from Upper Deck Entertainment.