Ikea is threatening legal action over the indie computer game ‘The Store is Closed’.
The flatpack furniture giant sent Jacob Shaw, the video game’s developer a cease and desist over the game - which possesses no direct references to the homeware retailer - because it believes it violates their trademark.
They said: "Your game uses a blue and yellow sign with a Scandinavian name on the store, a blue box-like building, yellow vertical stiped shirts identical to those worn by IKEA personnel, a gray path on the floor, furniture that looks like IKEA furniture, and product signage that looks like IKEA signage. All the foregoing immediately suggest that the game takes place in an IKEA store."
Ikea added the game - which is not yet available for purchase and was funded via Kickstarter - had prompted “numerous comments by readers of these stories make an association with IKEA stores," after the Ikea name was included in news stories about the video game.
The international chain has given Jacob ten working days to respond to the letter by wiping away all the apparent nods to their business.
Jacob - who raised $10,000 to make the game - told Kotaku that he was “desperately” trying to “revamp the entire look of the game,” to stop prevent the multibillion dollar company taking him to court, which is billed as “coop survival game set in a infinite furniture store.”
He said: “I was going to spend the last week of my Kickstarter preparing an update for all the new alpha testers. But now I’ve got to desperately revamp the entire look of the game so I don’t get sued.”
