- Just six months earlier Skillz won a similar case agains rivals AviaGames
- Blitz – Win Cash, Voodoo’s game in question, is alleged to have fixed the outcomes of its tournaments
Mobile games platform Skillz’s legal crusade continues with its latest allegation, this time accusing hypercasual publisher Voodoo of “fixing the outcome of its tournaments” in Blitz – Win Cash.
Previously Skillz sought a patent infringement case against AviaGames, through which Skillz won $42.9 million. During that case the platform claimed that AviaGames was misleading players who believed they were betting with real money against other humans, but really they were matched against bots designed to beat them.
This latest case against Voodoo follows similar arguments.
Claims of bots and advertising
Skillz’s new suit was filed in Manhattan federal court on July 1st, 2024 intending to charge Voodoo over false advertisement in the casino collection game Blitz – Win Cash. Skillz alleges that the game is not “fair” and “skills-based” as is marketed, but is “fixing the outcome of its tournaments through the use of computer algorithms or ‘bots’”.
Voodoo has a “no bots allowed” policy in Blitz – Win Cash and claims that players compete “against real opponents only”, denying the use of bots in response to reviews.
The app features games such Bingo, Solitaire, pool and even match-3 titles.
Skillz’s suit accuses Voodoo of populating this app’s tournaments with fake scores despite its no-bot claims, arguing that Voodoo “determines how its human players perform as relative to those fake scores”, thereby deciding how often real, human players get to win.
“Voodoo straight-out lies about its use of bots to its players and the broader market,” Skillz wrote in the case filing.
Voodoo has deceived thousands of consumers – many of whom have paid to play Voodoo games against other players of their skill level.
“Voodoo has deceived thousands of consumers – many of whom have relied on Voodoo’s false and misleading representations about its player base – who have paid to play Voodoo games against other players of their skill level.”
Laying down the law (while taking out a rival)
If true, Skillz argues that lying to potential customers would comprise a fraudulent strategy on Voodoo’s part to encourage sceptics to play. Skillz has also claimed to have “largely created” the mobile games industry itself, but alleges to have lost customers to Voodoo as a result of “false and misleading statements”, and as such has been “damaged” in lost revenue and market share.
“Voodoo’s false and deceptive marketing materials, advertisements, and other public statements – along with its use of bots in and of itself – violate the Lanham Act’s prohibition on false advertising,” Skillz added.
