The BBC has yet to comment on the lawsuit filed by Take-Two. The 90-minute drama is called Game Changer and will be shown on BBC2 with Daniel Radcliffe starring as Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser.
The show has not been authorised by creator Rockstar Games or parent company Take-Two Interactive though. As such, Take-Two filed a lawsuit against the BBC in London this morning.
In a statement sent to Polygon, Take-Two said: “Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC’s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games.” It adds that the company has attempted to contact the BBC “multiple times” over the dispute but no “meaningful resolution” has been forthcoming.
Game Changer is intended to follow the story of the creation of the multi-million dollar Grand Theft Auto franchise. It will be included in the BBC “Make it Digital” initiative that aims to get the British public interested in code, programming and modern technology.
The drama will cover the controversial game’s conception through to its launch. It will also heavily feature the subsequent series of legal attacks by lawyer Jack Thompson who claimed the series had inspired real-world acts of violence.
The game has regularly provoked controversy for the range of themes included. Unprovoked and indiscriminate violence is a key component for many players and the discovery of a hidden scene featuring full-frontal nudity in GTA San Andreas resulted in the game being withdrawn from sale in many markets.
Despite this, the latest instalment in the franchise — Grand Theft Auto V — managed to rake in $815 million in just 24 hours, shipping 11.2 million copies and making it the most successful entertainment property ever. It has now shipped over 32.5 million copies, bolstered by the success of its launch on PC in March.
