Tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) publisher Evil Genius has filed a lawsuit against Netflix Thursday (September 28) after the streaming service unceremoniously terminated its contract to create a franchise TTRPG for Zack Snyder's film "Rebel Moon."
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for California's Central District, detailed the extent of work Evil Genius has done for Netflix, including three books supporting a planned game.
Snyder was Down With a TTRPG of His Film Evil Genius Claims
Gizmodo reported that Snyder praised the TTRPG adaptation of his film, the first part of which would be shown on December 22. The second part will be released in April next year. Evil Genius founder and design team lead David Scott said that Snyder was in frequent contact with his team and that there were "daily interactions" with members of Snyder's team.
At the time of the alleged breach of contract, in May 2023, the complaint asserts that the TTRPG was nearly done, and the two sellable products - a 430-page Player's Guide and a 337-page Game Master's Guide - were in the final editing stages.
There was also a massive internal document produced: a Rebel Moon "World Bible," which detailed original details about the setting and characters of the film, which was being used as a reference for the developer during the development of the TTRPG.
Netflix Claims Evil Genius Breached Confidentiality Rules
The company further alleged that Netflix wanted the TTRPG released ahead of the film in December, which meant it lost opportunities due to prioritizing the film itself.
It was also said that Netflix allegedly terminated the agreement with Evil Genius due to its claim that the gaming firm breached confidentiality provisions.
According to the lawsuit, Netflix's allegation of confidentiality breach happened on two separate occasions this year. Netflix also told Evil Genius that its World Bible, which includes significant chunks of worldbuilding and development that greatly expands the Rebel Moon universe far beyond the script, "solely and exclusively" belonged to the streaming service.
Netflix arranged for a $50,000 settlement over the matter, but Evil Genius refused, stressing that they intend to release the game and receive compensation for its work.
Netflix refused to comment on the matter, Variety reported.
Evil Genius is one of a few tabletop game design firms that raised money via venture capitalist funding and has established itself as a well-known franchisee TTRPG firm. Aside from the canceled "Rebel Moon" game, it has also published franchise games for "Rambo," "Kong," "The Crow," and "Escape From New York," all using Evil Genius' Everyday Heroes system.
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