Update: Beresnev Games wins interim injunction against SayGames in Race Master 3D dispute

Update: SayGames has issued the following statement on the case and Beresnev Games' social posts:

"We’re aware of recent public posts made by our former partner, Beresnev Games, which contain serious allegations against SayGames and our team.

"We strongly disagree with the claims made in these statements. They are misleading and do not reflect the reality of our collaboration or the legal context.

"We are currently involved in ongoing legal proceedings with Beresnev Games concerning the rights to games that we co-created and successfully published to wide global audiences. These proceedings include a defamation case filed by SayGames earlier this year.

"As of today, all legal cases remain pending. No final court decisions have been issued.

"We remain confident in our position and trust that the legal process will bring clarity. Once appropriate, we will share more details.

"SayGames continues to focus on building successful products and maintaining respectful, transparent partnerships across the developer community."

Original story: Beresnev Games has obtained an interim injunction against publisher SayGames in a legal battle over the rights to Race Master 3D and accusations of cloning.

Last year the developer issued a claim for damages in excess of €2 million in relation to the “use, exploitation, transfer, distribution rights, preservation of authenticity and operation” of Race Master 3D, for which SayGames acted as the publisher. The outcome of that case has yet to be determined.

According to court documents seen by PocketGamer.biz, Race Master 3D is said to have generated $100m to date. The studio claims the title has been downloaded more than 450m times.

Beresnev Games has alleged that SayGames colluded with others, including former employees at the studio, to clone Race Master 3D. It alleged SayGames removed the title while also temporarily releasing a copycat version of the game.

“SayGames went so far as to claim in court that the Bundle ID of Race Master — which was created by us — belongs to them,” the developer claimed in a statement. 

“They went even further, asserting that the entire Race Master user database also belongs to them.”

Injunction upheld

Following Beresnev’s previous claim, it obtained an interim order from a Cyprus court prohibiting SayGames from cloning the title or exploiting its database of users. The publisher was given 24 hours notice to take measures to transfer the game back to Beresnev Games.

The latest court ruling upholds the interim injunction until the end of the case. The court’s decision can be found here.

“It’s crucial for us that the court heard our position during the initial hearing and ruled to transfer Race Master 3D to our developer account from SayGames’," said Beresnev Games founder Oleg Beresnev of the company’s allegations.

“Our main goal is to secure a fair resolution that aligns with our original agreement with the publisher. We also want to ensure both sides acknowledge and uphold the agreed-upon terms outlined in the contract.”

The case is currently ongoing.