Recently, TTRPG adaptations have been on the rise. Horror podcasts like The Magnus Archives and Welcome to Night Vale have projects. Even Final Fantasy XIV has one in the works. But a recent lawsuit has been filed regarding a canceled Rebel Moon TTRPG
The Netflix Rebel Moon TTRPG lawsuit
For those who don't know, Netflix had contracted Evil Genius Games (Everyday Heroes) to make an official Rebel Moon TTRPG. This would be an adaptation of the Zack Snyder feature film of the same name, set to debut on the streaming platform.
According to Evil Genius Games, they had begun working on the TTRPG in early 2023 and signed an official agreement with Netflix on March 22, 2023. They promised a delivery date of December 22, 2023, paid Netflix for a license, and had an agreement to share profits.
The lawsuit states that by May, Evil Genius had made considerable progress on the Rebel Moon TTRPG. This included a 228-page World Bible expanding the setting, a 430-page Player's Guide, and a 337-page Game Master's Guide.
All of this work included filling in missing background information, including a cohesive backstory for the world of Rebel Moon.
On May 25, Netflix terminated the agreement with Evil Genius. They claimed the company had violated confidentiality provisions in the contract by sharing artwork at an industry trade show one month earlier.
That event in question was the Game Manufacturers Association Exposition. This termination was a surprise to Evil Genius because they stated they sent the artwork to Netflix in advance of the event, and Netflix approved its use.
Two weeks after the termination of the contract, Netflix notified Evil Genius that all of their work on the project belongs "solely and exclusively to Netflix."
This means that, according to this lawsuit, Netflix was using this alleged breach and termination to hijack Evil Genius' intellectual property, prevent the release of the Rebel Moon TTRPG, and refuse to compensate them for their work.
Evil Genius' CEO, David Scott had this to say:
"Our aim is to ensure our team is recognized for their fantastic work, and that we can release this game for millions of TTRPG enthusiasts to enjoy,'' Scott said. "It's disheartening to see Netflix backpedal on content that was jointly showcased and had received their prior consent. We urge our supporters to contact Netflix and Zack Snyder to push for the release of this game.''
At the time of writing, Netflix has yet to comment on this lawsuit.
