Studio Wildcard

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wildcard Properties, LLC
SDE Inc.
Websitestudiowildcard.com

Wildcard Properties, LLC (

Ark II
, was announced in December 2020.

History

Jeremy Stieglitz and Augi Lye founded the developer

non-compete agreement, barring him from competing with and hiring employees from Trendy Entertainment for three years. Pursuant to an agreement signed in July that year, Stieglitz was bound to Trendy Entertainment until August 15, 2014, with the length of his non-compete agreement in turn reduced to one year. Stieglitz consequently left the company that August, stating that he would take a break before re-entering the video game industry. According to Trendy Entertainment, Stieglitz had been secretly approaching the company's staff with the prospect of joining a new video game studio, so the company's lawyers reminded him of the non-compete agreement on August 18, 2014.[2][3]

Stieglitz founded Studio Wildcard (legally Wildcard Properties, LLC) in October 2014.

During 2015, Trendy Entertainment and its lawyers repeatedly contacted Stieglitz in regard to his involvement with Studio Wildcard, including through a

Alachua County. The company alleged that Stieglitz had violated the non-compete agreement by establishing Studio Wildcard, developing Ark: Survival Evolved, and hiring employees from Trendy Entertainment. At the time of the lawsuit, Studio Wildcard employed six former Trendy Entertainment staffers, including two key programmers whose departure was stated to have caused "substantial damages" for Trendy Entertainment. The lawsuit further alleged that Studio Wildcard's technology used for Ark appeared "indistinguishable" to Trendy Entertainment's PlayVerse technology, and that Studio Wildcard had hired the contractor Instinct Games away from Trendy Entertainment. It also claimed that listing Browning Stieglitz under her maiden name—as opposed to her married name, which had been used for her roles in Yum Cupcakery, Sarkara Sweets, and Ingenue Avenue—had been an effort to conceal Stieglitz's role within Studio Wildcard. Insight Venture Partners filed a parallel lawsuit on February 11, 2016.[2][3]

Through the lawsuit, Trendy Entertainment sought for

Internet trolls.[10] The parties ultimately settled for $40 million on April 13, 2016.[9][10]

By February 2016, Studio Wildcard employed 60 people at its office in

Ark II, was announced at The Game Awards 2020.[17] Vin Diesel, who stars in Ark II, joined Studio Wildcard as "president of creative convergence" (executive producer) to oversee the game.[18]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s)
2017 Ark: Survival Evolved
Xbox Series X/S
Ark: Survival of the Fittest
PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
2023 Ark: Survival Ascended PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
2024
Ark 2
TBA

References

  1. ^ "Jobs". Studio Wildcard. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Clark, Anthony (March 30, 2016). "Video game developers waging real-life legal battle". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Schreier, Jason (March 23, 2016). "Game Studios Enter Legal Battle Over The Making Of Ark: Survival Evolved". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  4. GamesIndustry.biz. Archived
    from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  5. from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  6. from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "Wildcard Properties, LLC v. Pride Games Studio et al". Justia. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021. Filing 3: CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT filed by Plaintiff Wildcard Properties, LLC identifying SDE Inc. as Corporate Parent. (Wheeler, Brian)
  8. ^ Schuhmann, Gerd (April 20, 2017). "ARK Survival Evolved: Der Gaming-Skandal, über den keiner spricht". Mein-MMO.de (in German).
  9. ^ a b Schreier, Jason (April 15, 2016). "Ark: Survival Evolved Developers Settle Ugly Lawsuit". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Clark, Anthony (May 11, 2016). "Developer of 'Ark: Survival Evolved' pays $40 million to settle lawsuit with Trendy". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 2, 2016). "Ark: Survival Evolved Dev Talks Frame Rate Issues, PS4 Version, Comparisons to Minecraft". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  12. USgamer. Archived
    from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Wood, Austin (January 26, 2018). "PixARK is a voxel-based spinoff of Ark: Survival Evolved". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  14. ^ Kuchera, Ben (December 6, 2018). "Ark Survival Evolved creators' new game is a massive pirate MMO called Atlas". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  15. ^ Minotti, Mike (December 6, 2018). "Atlas is a new game of sailing and monsters from Ark: Survival Evolved studio". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  16. GamesIndustry.biz. Archived
    from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  17. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (December 11, 2020). "Ark 2 announced from Studio Wildcard, stars Vin Diesel". VG247. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  18. GamesIndustry.biz. Archived
    from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

External links