Bethesda has recently been added to an existing lawsuit that alleges the company intentionally sabotaged the release of Rune 2 to protect its own Elder Scrolls series. Though the Nordic-influenced game is the sequel to a game from 2000, it drew many comparisons to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim prior to its release.
In December of 2019, Rune 2 publisher Ragnarok Game sued Human Head Studios, the game's developer, on the accusation that the studio attempted to sabotage the very game it had been working on. The very day after Rune 2's release, Human Head officially closed its doors only to re-open the exact same day as Roundhouse Studios, but that was only part of the change. The studio had been bought by ZeniMax and subsidiary company Bethesda. According to Ragnarok Game, deliberate action had been taken by these parent companies to hurt the release of the Elder Scrolls competitor.
According to PC Gamer, Ragnarok Game has amended its initial lawsuit, which was at first only against Human Head Studios, to now include ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks. The update insists that ZeniMax and Bethesda communicated with Human Head employees as early as summer of 2019 and were secretly given confidential pre-release versions of the game. After testing it, ZeniMax and Bethesda treated Rune 2 as a threat to their Elder Scrolls franchise and did all in their power henceforth to hinder the project, according to Ragnarok Game's allegations. The lawsuit seeks damages of no less than $100 million as well as restitution for development costs, punitive damages, attorneys fees, and other penalties. Bethesda has yet to comment on the matter.
Prior to the release of Rune 2, Human Head Studios was in the process of being bought out by several potential companies, ZeniMax among them. According to Ragnarok Game, ZeniMax was the only potential buyer that would not allow further development on the game. ZeniMax ended up acquiring Human Head and took possession of all the studio's employees and assets on November 4, 2019. Eight days later, Rune 2 was released and the day after that Human Head closed and reopened as Roundhouse. In those eight days, however, ZeniMax reportedly halted production on Rune 2 and took away any future support for the game.
What all of this seems to come down to is the legal obligations Human Head Studios had and may still have to Ragnarok Game. In theory, ZeniMax and Bethesda would have the right to cancel any project Human Head was working on as soon as the studio became a subsidiary. But for ZeniMax to order that eight days before the release date, when Human Head still had obligations to Ragnarok Game, does give the appearance of potential sabotage. It is strange, however, that the Human Head employees would take part in self-sabotage after spending so much time working on the project. It is worth noting that this could be an attempt by Ragnarok Game to compensate for the initial poor reception Rune 2 received, but that may also have to do with the lack of support received after launch. This saga is far from over and it could develop yet another intriguing layer now that Microsoft owns Bethesda.
Source: PC Gamer