Atari Says Turbine D&D MMO Lawsuit 'Frivolous,' Seeks Dismissal

Atari has issued an official response to a $30 million Turbine-filed lawsuit related to Dungeons & Dragons MMOs. Atari called the lawsuit "frivolous," claiming it "can ultimately do a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large." Turbine's suit, filed late last month, accuses publisher Atari of decreasing its support for Turbine's Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach by way of "choking off sales in Europe" and inadequately marketing the game, to make room for an internally-developed Atari D&D MMO. The publisher is now seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, alleging in turn that Turbine is using the legal action in part as a smokescreen to obscure its own financial obligations to Atari. The full statement, delivered to various media outlets including Gamasutra, is as follows: "Last week, with no warning, Turbine filed what can only be viewed as a frivolous lawsuit against Atari. This action can ultimately do a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large. Turbine's actions also appear intended to divert attention from the contractual obligations that Turbine owes to Atari. "In response, today Atari served a motion to dismiss the entirety of Turbine's lawsuit. Atari also filed a separate complaint to recover monies owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine. "While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter."