Mojang vs. Bethesda Quake Match Will Probably Never Happen

Bad news everyone, Minecraft creator “Notch” and Bethesda won’t be going head-to-head on the bloodied field of glory in Quake III. The dispute between Bethesda and Mojang regarding Mojang’s newest game still in development, Scrolls, will likely be settled in a regular, dull courthouse, Wired reports. Notch has not heard from Bethesda since announcing his challenge three days ago.

The dispute started after Bethesda quite suddenly decided to sue Mojang for copyright infringement, claiming that the title “Scrolls” conflicted with their trademark “The Elder Scrolls” game series. Notch stated that he believed a Quake III tournament would be “good PR” for both companies, and that Mojang’s lawyers are on the case, although he himself finds the process “terribly boring”, hinting that his time and energy are being devoted to other matters. Nonetheless, he is prepared to “…fight this for as long as it takes,” exhibiting some puzzlement with Bethesda’s decision, refering to the fact that plenty of their games have shared nouns with other titles in the past.

According to Wired, though, Bethesda’s lawsuit is not unwarranted, as they spoke with industry expert Mark Methenitis. Methenitis stated that the similarities in titles might not mean much to the informed gamer (such as you, dear reader of Nightmare Mode) who knows the major differences between the two games, but to the casual consumer the two titles are more easily blended together.

Honestly, though, was anyone really expecting Bethesda to accept the challenge? No. But not all hope is lost. Maybe, just maybe, someone valiant at Bethesda will stand up and demand that the challenge be met. And in the ensuing fragfest the one true, honorable bearer of the trademark “Scrolls” will prevail.

It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. - Boromir