Westworld mobile game closing following Fallout Shelter settlement with Bethesda

Update: While it initially seemed that the settlement would allow the Westworld mobile game to continue operating, that no longer appears to be the case. The game site is still up but purchase links leading to the App Store and Google Play are no longer valid, and as reported by Shacknews, players who have it installed have been told that the game will close in April.

"We hope you have enjoyed playing Westworld. We are sorry to tell you the park is entering a new phase and will no longer be taking applications for new employees," it says.

"The game will be removed from the App Store and Google Play on January 15, 2019, and officially closed on April 16, 2019. As of today, you will no longer be able to make in-game purchases. If you have any in-game currency, remember to use it before the game goes offline on April 16, 2019."

The message makes no reference to the Bethesda lawsuit, but it's a pretty reasonable connection to make. I've reached out to WBIE for more information.

Original story:

In June 2018, Bethesda Softworks sued Warner Bros. Interactive and Behaviour Interactive over a mobile game based on HBO's Westworld series. Bethesda claimed the game is "a blatant rip-off of Fallout Shelter," the Fallout-based management game that debuted in 2015 on mobile devices and came to PCs a year later.

What made the claim especially interesting is that Behaviour also developed Fallout Shelter, leading to Bethesda's allegation that it wasn't just visually similar, but that the studio used "Bethesda’s computer code, game designs, and other intellectual property as the foundation for the Westworld game." The appearance of at least one bug in the Westworld demo that was identical to a bug in the initial release of Fallout Shelter seemed to bolster that claim even further.

The case has now been settled, however: Bethesda and Behaviour released a joint statement yesterday saying that the "have amicably resolved the lawsuit Bethesda brought against Behaviour and others related to the Fallout Shelter and Westworld mobile games." The terms of the settlement weren't revealed, but the filing says the case was dismissed "with prejudice," which in legal terms means the dismissal is permanent, so the case can't be brought back to court.

The good news for gamers is that both Fallout Shelter and Westworld remain available for purchase. Bethesda and Warner declined to comment on the settlement.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.