Can Developers Copy Themselves?

The games industry is no stranger to lawsuits, and one of the most recent cases involves Nexon and its lawsuit against Ironmace, the developer of Dark and Darker. Nexon claims that Ironmace has misappropriated its trade secrets and infringed on its copyright by releasing a game that is substantially similar to Nexon's own game, P3 Project. But is this really a case of copyright infringement, or is it just a matter of developers using similar ideas and assets in their games? The lawsuit highlights the challenges of protecting intellectual property in the games industry, where ideas and assets are often shared and reused. It also raises questions about the use of Unreal Engine Marketplace assets and whether they can be considered unique and creative expressions. As the case progresses, it will be interesting to see how the court rules on these issues and what implications it may have for the games industry as a whole.