Square Enix Sues Ten Tree for Alleged Exploitation of Copyrighted Work in Mecharashi

Square Enix is suing HK Ten Tree Limited for “unauthorized use, distribution, and exploitation” of their work – specifically “assets and content derived from SQEZ’s ‘Front Mission’ video games series.” 

HK Ten Tree Limited and BlackJack studio are currently developing Mecharashi, an unreleased mecha MMO that allegedly uses assets from Front Mission, a title that was canceled in 2022. 

According to Square, all rights in and to the Licensed Game, including copyrights, remained with SQEX – hence their legal stance in this court case. 

“SQEX is informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, that the same persons or entities involved in developing the Licensed Game (Front Mission) also were involved in developing the Infringing Game (Mecharashi), and/or that the Infringing Game was developed using materials created pursuant to the License Agreement,” the official legal document reads.

Square presented multiple screen shots from both titles as proof of the alleged asset stealing. 

The lawsuit remains ongoing without a final resolution. As of March 19, Mecharashi’s listing remains publicly available on Steam, though no official release date has been announced. BlackJack Studio continues to unveil new game teasers, signaling its intent to proceed with development despite legal challenges.. 

Front Mission is an iconic video game mecha series that has been Square Enix’s intellectual property for decades. The first entry, Front Mission 1st, saw a remake in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, later being ported to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. 

Mecharashi, on the other hand, “adopts a Front Mission-style combat system.” It utilizes tactical turn-based mech action alongside current gen graphics aimed towards providing a “solemn, realistic style to achieve the ultimate expression of mech aesthetics.”