Light & Wonder CEO Matt Wilson has addressed concerns from stakeholders following a recent court ruling in favour of rival gaming supplier Aristocrat.
Aristocrat had alleged that Light & Wonder’s Dragon Train game had infringed on its intellectual property, specifically certain mathematical elements of the title.
In a decision handed down on 23 September, the US District Court of Nevada granted Aristocrat’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which stops Light & Wonder’s “continued or planned sale, leasing, or other commercialization of Dragon Train”.
In a video response released Thursday, Wilson said that the supplier would fully comply with the court’s decision and has already contacted clients in North America and Australia to try and arrange for alternative titles to fill the gap left by Dragon Train.
Around 2,000 units of Dragon Train are currently in operation across North America, and the supplier is offering clients titles such as Ultimate Fire Link and Huff and Puff as replacements.
“We are working hard with our customers to install new games as quickly as possible so that Dragon Train is removed from our fleet; that’s our immediate priority,” said Wilson, who also revealed that the company is developing a new version of the game, dubbed “Dragon Train 2.0.”
Wilson explained that the issue raised in court was only around the mathematical components of the game, and that many of the title’s key features remained unaffected.
He believes that Dragon Train will continue to be a part of the company’s future.
“We expect Dragon Train will continue to be a franchise in our portfolio for many years to come. In the same way as Dancing Drums, Huff N Puff and Ultimate Fire Link,” said Wilson. “They’re all evergreen, and we’re going to bring them back year after year.”
Wilson also confirmed that the game designer of Dragon Train has left the company. While he did not disclose details about the departure, Wilson said it was part of the company’s plans to address the ongoing litigation.
Wilson reiterated that Light & Wonder remains on course to meet its 2025 earnings target of $1.4 billion EBITDA.
Shares in Light & Wonder Inc (NASDAQ:LNW) closed 1.96 per cent higher at $89.46 per share in New York Thursday, and gained a further 5.78 per cent to $94.63 in pre-market trading Friday.