The long-running legal dispute between Aristocrat and Light & Wonder (L&W) over alleged trade secret theft is showing little sign of winding down after the Australian supplier recently brought new claims in US federal court. While both companies currently enjoy significant momentum, the result of the lawsuit could have substantial implications.
Aristocrat Accused Its Competitor of Stalling
In a supplemental brief filed in Nevada on 19 August, Aristocrat alleged that documents produced in discovery contained an admission by L&W that it had used potentially contentious game math models in an unnamed title. This accusation adds to Aristocrat’s prior claims that L&W misappropriated mathematics from its Dragon Train series, a dispute that has spawned injunctions, appeals, and mounting investor attention.
According to a recent report by news outlet NEXT.io, Aristocrat argues the admission justifies its calls for additional time to examine L&W’s development files. With mere weeks to go before discovery closes, the company claims its rival still refuses to hand over crucial material that could allow Aristocrat to test L&W’s assertions and possibly influence the court’s verdict.
The new game involved was purportedly developed by another studio at L&W, different than the one involved with the highly contentious Dragon Train title. Aristocrat contends that this development broadens the scope of the potential misappropriation, suggesting the alleged transfer of sensitive trade secrets was not limited to a single product line.
L&W Maintains That It Is in the Right
The Nevada court has already ordered L&W to shut down its Dragon Train games within the US. However, the court later rejected Aristocrat’s call for access to its competitor’s underlying math models, dealing a blow to hopes of an early resolution. That ruling left Aristocrat relying on the discovery process to piece together evidence, a process it now claims L&W is stalling.
Aristocrat has also raised concerns about six terabytes of missing accounting data relating to Dragon Train and incomplete answers to court questions seeking to define the exact math models used in the title. Meanwhile, L&W remains adamant it did not infringe on Aristocrat’s intellectual property, holding firm against what it portrays as overreach on the part of its rival.
These frequent twists and turns mean the legal battle between Aristocrat and L&W may easily extend well into the latter half of 2025 before even approaching trial. With neither side backing down, the feud has become one of the most closely watched battles in the gaming world, with implications not only for the two firms but for how proprietary game maths and design are treated in court.