Electronic Arts says the “Sim”-ilarities are uncanny between its hit game and Zynga’s newer virtual world creation, “The Ville.”
The old-school video game giant sued its upstart rival yesterday, claiming Zynga’s “The Ville” rips off “The Sims Social” game.
“ ‘The Ville’ was not an attempt to innovate on a game concept — it was an intentional effort to copy EA’s creative work,” the suit said.
There is no denying similarities in the games that both allow players to create virtual characters who hang out with friends through Facebook and live in a virtual world.
EA said “The Ville” copies Sims to minute details — like the personalities characters can choose and their movements and expressions.
Zynga’s lawyer called the lawsuit “ironic,” saying that EA’s “SimCity Social” has borrowed elements from “CityVille.”
EA is particularly peeved because its Sims franchise was revolutionary when launched in 2000, creating a new genre in gaming.
Zynga has been influential, too, in advancing gaming in the social-media era, but the company and its CEO Mark Pincus have frequently been accused of and sometimes sued over allegedly copying other successful games.
In this case, Zynga has gone beyond its usual tactics by poaching top executives from EA, including John Schappert, who had been in charge of EA’s online social gaming business, the lawsuit said.