Atari Labels Dungeons & Dragons Lawsuit 'Frivolous'

In what is bound to be an ongoing case of "he said-she said," publisher Atari has fired back against the $30 million lawsuit from Dungeons & Dragons Online maker Turbine.

Atari labeled the lawsuit, in which Turbine accuses Atari of fraud and extortion, as "frivolous" and filed a motion to dismiss the suit, along with another complaint to "recover monies owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine."

In last week's suit, Turbine said Atari's claim of being owed more money was "unfounded." The entire affair centers around the Dungeons & Dragons license, which Turbine sublicensed from Atari so that it could create D&D Online. That game has since spawned a free-to-play iteration, with Atari supposedly prepping a new D&D MMO.

Atari's complete response, which the company provided to Shacknews, follows:

Last week, with no warning, Turbine filed what can only be viewed as a frivolous lawsuit against Atari. This action can ultimately do a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large. Turbine's actions also appear intended to divert attention from the contractual obligations that Turbine owes to Atari. In response, today Atari served a motion to dismiss the entirety of Turbine's lawsuit. Atari also filed a separate complaint to recover monies owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine. While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter.