Light & Wonder Updates Dragon Train to Comply with Court Ruling

Amidst the legal dispute, L&W CEO Matt Wilson has made an official statement. In it, he confirmed that the company is working on a new version of Dragon Train, known as version 2.0. The main purpose of the update is to comply with the recent court ruling in favor of Aristocrat.

In late September, Judge Gloria M. Navarro of the U.S. District Court of Nevada issued a ruling prohibiting L&W from selling, leasing, or otherwise commercializing Dragon Train. The court also noted that Aristocrat could prove that it had misused its trade secrets in creating the game.

Wilson emphasized that working on a new version of the game is a priority for the company. He also expressed confidence that Dragon Train will remain in L&W's portfolio. However, according to him, the lawsuit only concerns small aspects of the game - mainly the map. Other elements, such as graphics, sound, and animations, remain untouched by the court's decision.

Last week, analysts at Truist Securities reported that Dragon Train developer Emma Charles was no longer with L&W. The company's CEO confirmed the news, announcing her departure, but did not provide further details.

"You may have heard the news that the lead designer of Dragon Train has left our company. While we do not discuss personal matters, I can confirm that the developer was fired this week," Wilson said.

Despite the legal proceedings, Wilson assured that the company's financial goals for 2025 remain the same. L&W plans to achieve AEBITDA consolidation of $1.4 billion, while continuing to focus on sustainable growth.

Regarding the impact of the court ruling on the North American market, Wilson said that the company currently has about 33,000 units installed, of which Dragon Train is only a small part - about 2,200 units. However, the company has not yet received any requests to remove the game and is actively working to bring existing installations into compliance with the court's requirements.