Square Enix accuses Front Mission developer BlackJack Studio of stealing assets for its own gameSeeking rip-off's shutdown and $150k.Image credit: BlackJack Studio News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on March 20, 2025 Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has launched legal action against a developer it had partnered with to make a new Front Mission game.Front Mission, the company's classic mecha battle franchise, was set to be revived by BlackJack Studio via a new game titled Front Mission 2089: Borderscape. After two years of development, Square Enix cancelled the project in October 2024, and walked away from BlackJack Studio for reasons unknown. Shortly after, BlackJack Studio announced its own "Front Mission-style game", known as Mecharashi.Xbox currently has more first-party games coming to PlayStation 5 this year than Sony.Watch on YouTubeSquare Enix's lawsuit (uncovered by Polygon) claims Mecharashi uses the work BlackJack Studio undertook for its own project. Indeed, Mecharashi's own Steam page describes the game thus: "Mecharashi is a mecha-themed tactical turn-based game. The game adopts a Front Mission-style combat system, where you can assemble mechas however you want, equip a wide selection of weapons, and choose your favorite pilots to engage in battle."Court documents filed by Square Enix include pages of screenshots comparing the unreleased Front Mission prototype made by BlackJack Studio and the developer's new project. The similarities are obvious. Front Mission 2089: Borderscape prototype images, compared with Mecharashi. | Image credit: Square EnixSquare Enix is seeking $150k (115k) in compensation for copyright infringement, and an immediate removal of the game's listing from storefronts.In the meantime, Mecharashi has already disappeared and reappeared from Steam as Square Enix and BlackJack Studio squabble over a DMCA notice.