ZeniMax versus Oculus VR trial commences, and it's gotten mean already

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ZeniMax didn't have the "vision, expertise or patience" to work on VR.

ZeniMax Media – the parent company of Bethesda, id Software and more – filed a lawsuit against Oculus VR back in 2014, accusing the latter of "misappropriating ZeniMax trade secrets relating to virtual reality technology". Among the lawsuit's claims was that John Carmack, formerly of id Software but now CTO of Oculus, worked on some of the VR tech while still employed by ZeniMax. 

Now, nearly two years later, the trial has finally commenced at a Texas court, and there's no love lost between the two parties. In a statement provided to Upload VR, Oculus VR pulled no punches, dismissing the lawsuit as a waste of time.

"We’re eager to present our case in court," the statement reads. "Oculus and its founders have invested a wealth of time and money in VR because we believe it can fundamentally transform the way people interact and communicate. We’re disappointed that another company is using wasteful litigation to attempt to take credit for technology that it did not have the vision, expertise, or patience to build."

ZeniMax filed the lawsuit in May 2014, weeks after Facebook's $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR. The three week trial is believed to include live witnesses, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

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