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IKEA asks horror developer to change its game

Indie horror project The Store is Closed has been handed with a cease and desist order.

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In a somewhat unexpected move, IKEA has been drawn into the gaming industry once again. Previously the furniture giant has made headlines for its hilariously named game boxes in the department store, now it's all about the horror game The Store is Closed, an indie budget co-op survival game developed by Jacob Shaw. The game is currently in its final kickstarter week and has raised just under $50,000. However, we'll see how that pans out.

Shaw describes the game as "being set in an infinite furniture store", and while he claims it's completely unspecified, Ingvar Kamprad's lawyers claim otherwise. Shaw has been served with a so-called cease and desist order, which says he must change the game and remove anything that might be associated with IKEA stores within ten days.

The lawyers say that precedes trademark infringement and point to a bunch of examples:
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.

Although Shaw does not back down from his position that the business name - STYR - is not similar to IKEA, several journalists and players have drawn the connection to the furniture giant. You can see the pictures for yourself below.

IKEA asks horror developer to change its game
IKEA asks horror developer to change its game

Thanks, Kotaku.



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