3D Realms have been releasing some amazing blog posts deep-diving into the upgrades their making to the Build engine:
In some really exciting Build engine news, Blood’s finally being re-released by Night Dive. The current version that’s available for purchase doesn’t play nice with modern setups and requires a user-created Java program to run at a modern resolution and a decent framerate. I hope this new version offers multiplayer - that was a standout mode of the original!
Finally, 3DR have another old-school shooter in the works, this time developed by some of the modders responsible for the incredible Arcane Dimensions and running on the Quake 1 engine. Further details are scarce beyond this tantalizing gif.
Heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s holding company has filed a $2 million trademark infringement lawsuit against a video game developer behind the “Duke Nukem” game that is selling another game called “Ion Maiden.” The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims entertainment company 3D Realms is conducting “incredibly blatant” trademark infringement—which could lead to “confusion among consumers.” “Defendant’s Ion Maiden name is nearly identical to the Iron Maiden trademark in appearance, sound and overall commercial impression. Defendant also uses the Ion Maiden name to sell merchandise including shirts and mouse pads,” the lawsuit claims, noting that Iron Maiden has also sold computer games in the past. The holding company alleges that 3D Realms engaged in federal trademark infringement and unfair competition, among other charges, for their “virtually identical imitation” of the band’s trademark. In addition to the $2 million, the suit also demands the company stop using “confusingly similar” products and relinquish their ownership of ionmaiden.com.
This thought had crossed my mind when I first heard about the game, and in fact mis-read the title as “Iron Maiden”. I wondered if this could be a concern, but as time passed I forgot about it, figuring that games and music are two different industries.
Do you think it’s a coincidence that they waited until just before the game is set to release to file this suit?
Could they not have just sent a Cease And Desist letter in the early stages instead?
Anyway, jeez I hope this doesn’t fuck things up royally.
EDIT: Just went back in the thread and noticed this:
We’ve recently heard about a lawsuit filed in California by the band Iron Maiden, claiming our old-school first-person shooter Ion Maiden is infringing on their trademark. From what we’ve heard, the suit claims our main character, Shelly Harrison, originally debuting in 2016’s Bombshell, is based on their musician Steve Harris; our skull bomb icon found in-game is based on their skeleton mascot Eddie; our logo in itself is based on theirs; and other frivolous claims anyone who has played Ion Maiden would find more over the top than Shelly’s “Loverboy”, her signature 18-round triple-barreled revolver. We at 3D Realms, our co-publishers 1C Entertainment, and developer Voidpoint will review our options once we receive official notice of the lawsuit and will make any necessary decisions at the appropriate time.
Regardless, everyone continues to work diligently on Ion Maiden to deliver the best possible experience later this year.
I actually just saw this on the Iron Maiden Wiki page. Without knowing more about the details than available publicly, I would have to say I rather sympathize with the band on this one. Iron Maiden’s visuals, 'Ed the Head, and their whole look and shtick are universally recognizable and very monetizable assets, and it seems at least viable to claim that 3D Realms was deliberately playing on this to sell their shooter. I’m generally not a big fan of trademark lawsuits, but I can’t get upset that the band’s people are taking this route.
