Notch: challenging Bethesda to Quake 3 duel 'might have been a poor choice'
Minecraft maker Markus "Notch" Persson has admitted a strategic miscalculation in challenging Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to settle their legal dispute over Notch's Scrolls, whose title Bethesda says conflicts with its Elder Scrolls franchise. Considering Bethesda owns Quake 3 and employs a handful of professional players, Notch admitted his choice of game might have been a poor one. "If it came to a Quake 3 tournament, I have a feeling we just might have to change the name," Notch told Wired.
Notch isn't giving up his fight with Bethesda, saying the entire lawsuit is a "bogus claim," but attorney and game industry analyst Mark Methenitis says Bethesda has a "reasonable argument" based on established US trademark-law tests. Perhaps Notch should challenge Bethesda to a Twitter duel, because at 303,000 followers, Notch could trounce Bethesda's 50,000 roughly six times over and still have enough people left over to play the Scrolls alpha when it launches later this year, and that's ridiculous.
