Digerati, publisher of The Outbound Ghost, has filed a lawsuit against its developer Conradical.
Last week, lead developer Conrad Grindheim released a YouTube video explaining that his relationship with the publisher had “dissolved” and he was requesting the publisher return the publishing rights to him.
The dispute occurred due to Grindheim’s disappointment with the quality of the console release of the game, specifically on Switch. He allegedly vandalised the game’s store page on Steam in response, which has since been removed.
Digerati followed Grindheim’s YouTube video with a statement of its own, in which owner Sarah Alfieri said: “we’ve been blindsided by the sudden negativity from Conrad, the game’s developer.”
Now the publisher has filed a lawsuit against Conradical for false statements and wilful breach of contract.
It is not seeking money at this time, but requests the developer perform its obligations to ensure the game is a success.
A statement shared with Eurogamer reads: “While it is absolutely not something we wanted to do, we have been forced into a position that requires us to protect our rights under the licensing agreement with Conradical. We remain hopeful that we will still be able to resolve this issue amicably, and will be able to cooperate on the continued improvement of the performance of The Outbound Ghost.
“However, we simply can not sit by and be dragged through the mud in a public forum, nor can we allow our contractual rights to be trampled without exerting some form of remedy.
“In the lawsuit, we are asking the Court to order Conradical to perform its obligations under the Licensing Agreement to ensure the success of The Outbound Ghost. We are not seeking money at this time because we want to return to the path where The Outbound Ghost would be successful.