Square Enix Settles Lawsuit with Ten Tree Over Alleged Asset Misuse from Cancelled Game

Square Enix has officially wrapped up its copyright infringement lawsuit against mobile game publisher HK Ten Tree Limited, putting an end to a legal clash over the alleged reuse of assets from a cancelled joint project, Front Mission 2089: Borderscape.

The case, originally filed back in March 2025 in a Seattle federal court, accused Ten Tree and developer BlackJack Studio of lifting content from the scrapped game and using it in their new mobile title, Metal Storm—also known as Mecharashi in China and South Korea.

What Sparked the Dispute?

Square Enix had teamed up with Ten Tree to co-develop Front Mission 2089: Borderscape, a tactical RPG tied to the long-running Front Mission series. But when the project got cancelled just months after its April 2022 announcement, things got complicated.

Square Enix claimed that after the cancellation, BlackJack Studio took several of Borderscape’s core assets—like graphics and gameplay systems—and repurposed them in Metal Storm, a turn-based mech strategy game that rolled out in Asia in October 2024.

In its lawsuit, Square Enix asked the court to:

• Block the Western release of Metal Storm until the alleged assets were removed

• Award $150,000 in statutory damages for each copyright violation

How It Ended

On May 20, 2025, Square Enix voluntarily dismissed the case, signaling that a private settlement had been reached behind the scenes.

Just a week later, Ten Tree issued a public statement on its website confirming that both parties had resolved the issue:

“Our company and Square Enix Co. Ltd have agreed to settle the dispute regarding the game application Metal Storm: Steel Storm for smart devices… We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

Details of the settlement weren’t made public, so we don’t know if any money changed hands or if licensing agreements were involved. But interestingly, Ten Tree had already started swapping out certain in-game assets shortly after the lawsuit was filed—possibly helping move the settlement along.

A Quick Look at Metal Storm / Mecharashi

Developed by BlackJack Studio, Metal Storm is a mecha-themed tactical RPG with fully customizable combat units. The game’s original Steam listing even called out its “Front Mission-style combat system,” which probably didn’t help their case with Square Enix.

Despite the drama, the game is still available in select regions and now looks set to move forward with its Western release—this time with the legal baggage cleared up.