Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive is suing the BBC over what it calls trademark infringement as it relates to the broadcaster's plans to air a docudrama about the development of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
When the BBC announced the project back in March, everyone simply assumed the broadcaster had Rockstar's blessing.
In a statement issued to IGN, Rockstar acknowledged the lawsuit and said it has had no involvement with the project. The developer added that their goal is to ensure their trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games.
Furthermore, Rockstar claims it has attempted multiple times to resolve the issue directly with the BBC but was unable to reach a meaningful resolution. It is their obligation to protect their intellectual property and in this instance, Rockstar said litigation was necessary.
Game Changer, as the project is tentatively titled, will be a 90-minute feature that depicts the real-life conflict between Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser and GTA critic / lawyer Jack Thompson whose roles will be played by Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton, respectively. The BBC has told multiple publications that it doesn't comment on legal matters.
Filming for the feature got under way just over a month ago and is expected to air later this year as part of the BBC's focus on coding and related activities.