Cygames and Konami Digital Leisure immediately introduced {that a} patent dispute concerning Cygames’ cellular title “Uma Musume Fairly Derby” has been resolved.
“Uma Musume Fairly Derby” is a very talked-about anime racehorse/woman administration recreation the place racehorses are reborn as cute anime ladies with horse ears and tails. The sequence began as an anime in 2018, adopted by a Japan-only cellular recreation launch in 2021. Within the recreation, gamers discuss to, prepare, handle, and share their victories and defeats with horse ladies similar to Particular Week and White-eye McQueen. Because of this, the Uma Musume sequence has aroused a cult following, with many followers changing into curious concerning the real-life Japanese racehorses behind their favourite characters.
Again in March 2023, Konami filed a lawsuit towards Cygames, claiming that Cygames’ Uma Musume Fairly Derby infringed on 18 of the corporate’s patents. Konami initially sought damages in extra of 4 billion yen (roughly $26 million at present change charges) and that Cygames stop all manufacturing, use, and distribution of cellular video games. In response, Cygames filed a request for invalidation of all associated patents.
Cygames revealed press launch In the present day, now we have determined to resolve our variations so that every one gamers can get pleasure from Uma Musume Fairly Derby in the long run. Regardless of this choice, Cygames “stays assured that no patent infringement has occurred.”
Each Konami and Cygames expressed their respect for one another’s creators and video games in press releases concerning the settlement. Cygames, as a gaggle firm, “respects the efforts of creators from varied firms within the recreation business, together with Konami Digital Leisure, and the various video games they’ve created.” In flip, Konami commented “We respect one another’s creativity and attempt to offer content material and companies that please our prospects.”
In line with press launch Cygames had been negotiating with Konami since 2023 concerning patent rights “associated to a part of the Uma Musume Fairly Derby recreation system and program,” however it seems that Konami disagreed with Cygames’ opinion and filed a lawsuit. Each firms saved secret the particular level of disagreement concerning “Uma Musume Fairly Derby.” Contemplating Konami’s historical past of manufacturing sports activities administration video games like Highly effective Skilled Baseball, it is attainable that a part of the issue was the in-game system for coaching Uma Musume within the Uma Musume Fairly Derby anime.
Each firms have harassed that the small print of the settlement is not going to be made public attributable to confidentiality agreements.
Verity Townsend is a contract author based mostly in Japan and beforehand served as an editor, contributor, and translator for the gaming information web site Automaton West. She additionally writes about Japanese tradition and movie for varied publications.