Author Sues Ubisoft Over Assassin’s Creed

Gamesindustry.biz is reporting that Ubisoft is facing legal action from science fiction author John L. Beiswenger, who claims that the popular Assassin’s Creed series bears striking similarities to his 2003 novel “Link.”

Beiswenger’s novel is based on the premise that ancestral memories can be “accessed, recalled, relived and re-experienced” by participants in a radical new scientific process. The suit lists a wide range of similarities, from narrative themes to specific use of individual words.

The author is seeking damages and an injunction to stop development of Assassin’s Creed 3. Last I checked, copyright law protected created works rather than ideas or concepts, so it will depend on the exact similarities. After all, the idea of ancestral memory isn’t new.

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: