Following the Dragon Train legal debacle, Light & Wonder has chosen to act preemptively and withdraw the Jewel of the Dragon game next
Light & Wonder has been under a lot of pressure from competitor Aristocrat, which accused the former company of copying its acclaimed Dragon Link game series by developing its own Dragon Train games.
Jewel of the Dragon Withdraw by Light & Wonder Preemptively
Although Light & Wonder denied the accusation at first, a court ruling sided with Aristocrat, forcing Light & Wonder to discontinue selling the Dragon Train games in the United States and most other markets, but not in Australia, where the company also fought back and won.
Earlier this week, Macquarie reported that it had spoken with Light & Wonder regarding the possibility of another game – Jewel of the Dragon – being impacted by the dispute between the two companies.
Light & Wonder’s senior management has responded to the investment bank’s inquiry by saying that the firm was holding preemptive talks with Aristocrat. Jewel of the Dragon was also mentioned during the first round of litigation involving the Dragon Train series but was not targeted right away – that only came recently.
Light & Wonder announced late Wednesday, April 2, that it is withdrawing the Jewel of the Dragon slot machines from all casino floors. Jewel of the Dragon only became a point of dispute when Aristocrat amended its original complaint to also feature the title as well.
The game is said to have a strong resemblance to Autumn Moon, another Aristocrat’s game, specifically through the use of the Hold and Spin feature, but also in the overall jackpot display, design, and logo usage.
To mitigate the situation, Light & Wonder has replaced the Jewel of the Dragon game with another title from its portfolio, although customers are most likely not very happy with Light & Wonder switching off two popular games in the space of only several months.
Financial Impact Immaterial, But Implications Significant
As to the impact that this would have on Light & Wonder, the company, Macquarie said, citing senior management, that the fallout was not going to be “material” because Jewel of the Dragon hardly had the same exposure that the Dragon Train series.
In fact, only 150 machines were installed in North America of the game, as opposed to some 2,200 units for the Dragon Train series, and revenue for the former was still under $10 million, giving the company some breathing room, nevertheless.
However, Light & Wonder has become painfully aware of the issue, and the company has issued an independent audit of all of its games developed after 2021, with another review covering the period between 2015 and 2021 also set to take place.
Nevertheless, Light & Wonder had to kill at least one game that was in development that could have resembled more of Aristocrat’s titles, CEO Matt Wilson said, citing “abundance of caution.” Wilson reaffirmed Light & Wonder’s commitment to building robust titles that are built upon steadfast research and original math and features, which has always been the company’s guiding principle.
Dragon Train’s lead designer, Emma Charles, left Light & Wonder in 2024.
