Netflix is facing a breach of contract lawsuit from Evil Genius Games, a company that was in the process of creating a tabletop role-playing game based on the upcoming series of Rebel Moon films directed by Zack Snyder.
According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Evil Genius Games initiated its collaboration with Netflix in early 2023 to develop a tabletop role-playing game that would coincide with the release of the first Rebel Moon film on Netflix which is scheduled for December 22, 2023 (via Variety). Evil Genius Games had obtained a license from Netflix and agreed to share profits from the project. However, earlier this year, Netflix terminated the contract, citing a violation of the confidentiality agreement related to Rebel Moon.
Although Netflix has declined to comment, Evil Genius CEO David Scott issued a statement about the lawsuit.
“Our aim is to ensure our team is recognized for their fantastic work, and that we can release this game for millions of [tabletop RPG] enthusiasts to enjoy,” the statement read. “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.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages for the breach of contract. Notably, Zack Snyder is not named as a defendant in this case. This confirms that the deal was brokered by Netflix without the filmmaker's involvement although Snyder had previously expressed his excitement about the table-top game that Evil Genius Games is working on.
Separately, Netflix has entered into an agreement with Super Evil Megacorp, based in San Mateo, California, to develop a four-player co-op action video game set in the Rebel Moon universe. This game will be exclusively available to Netflix members, although a release date has not yet been disclosed.
Rebel Moon is directed by Zack Snyder and will be released in two parts. The first part which is titled A Child of Fire is scheduled to premiere on December 22, 2023. The second part The Scargiver is set for release on April 19, 2024. The film follows an enigmatic young woman portrayed by Sofia Boutella, who must assemble a group of warriors to confront an impending invasion by the tyrannical ruler Regent Balisarius, played by Fra Free.
