New Lawsuit Accuses Gearbox, Sega of False Advertising for Aliens: Colonial Marines
All of the drama surrounding Aliens: Colonial Marines still isn't over, as a new lawsuit has been filed against both Gearbox and Sega with allegations of false advertisement.
The suit against Gearbox and Sega was filed in the Northern District of California court by law firm Edelson LLC. The firm is taking the companies to task on behalf of plaintiff Damion Perrine, and claims Gearbox and Sega falsely advertised Aliens: Colonial Marines with demonstrations at industry events like PAX and E3 that were not indicative of the actual finalized product. According to Polygon, the suit names several violations of California civil and business codes, so there might be some merit to the case.
"Each of the 'actual gameplay' demonstrations purported to show consumers exactly what they would be buying: a cutting edge video game with very specific features and qualities," the claim stated. "Unfortunately for their fans, Defendants never told anyone--consumers, industry critics, reviewers, or reporters--that their 'actual gameplay' demonstration advertising campaign bore little resemblance to the retail product that would eventually be sold to a large community of unwitting purchasers."
An Edelson representative told Polygon the gaming industry is no different from any other consumer industry, and companies should be held accountable for instances such as this one. Just how far this suit will go remains to be seen, but it will certainly set an interesting precedent for future preview events if the court sides with the plaintiff.