Judge Values Silicon Knights Lawsuit Claims at $1 Apiece

More courtroom shenanigans: it was revealed yesterday on Verge that the judge in the case between Silicon Knights and Epic Games has valued each of Silicon Knights’ claims against the Unreal Engine maker at $1 apiece. The decision comes, it seems, due to the fact that Silicon Knights never provided a legitimate breakdown of the damages they sought from Epic for allegedly failing to improve the Unreal Engine 3, leading to the judge to set each claim’s value at a buck.

That means that if Silicon Knights should win the case, they won’t get very much from the victory. Of course, the post points out that in the event of the plaintiff’s victory, the company can appeal the damages value. The trial will continue apace to determine whether or not Epic is guilty of the breach of contract for which they’re being sued.

Just to remind readers, Silicon Knights filed the lawsuit against Epic Games back in 2007, alleging that Epic breached their contract and had committed fraud by not working on the Unreal Engine 3, which Silicon Knights was using to create Too Human. Because of the developer’s problems using the engine, they had to create their own game engine, resulting in higher development costs (and an inferior product). They seek damages against Epic Games, as well as a portion of the profits on the Gears of War series, which they allege was where the licensing money from the Unreal Engine went, instead of going back into support and improvement of the engine itself.

The trail trial is currently underway, and the post notes that it will probably continue for another week.

Via Verge