Bigwinboard under threat of legal action following GameArt article

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Following the announcement of Big Time Gaming‘s licensing of its trademarked Megaways game engine to Balkan and Malta-based developer GameArt, a news article was subsequently published on Bigwinboard on September 19. In the article, concerns were expressed in regard to the deal whilst also highlighting the reasons for GameArt‘s long-standing blacklisting status on Bigwinboard.

Without warning or prior communication, a cease and desist letter was consequently sent to Bigwinboard.com through a Maltese law firm on the behalf of GameArt, demanding not only the “full removal” of the article but that it’s to be done with the same ”prominence” as the supposedly ”defamatory” content.

In the cease and desist letter, which is a common tactic for law firms to bully small companies and mute any criticism, Bigwinboard is accused of having made ”unsubstantiated allegations” which were also claimed to be ”false”, ”untrue” and ”based solely on the imagination of those whose only interest is that of damaging the hard-earned reputation of GameArt”.

By the look of things, the Curacao and Philippine licensed studio indeed has worked hard to gain that reputation as can be seen here for example.

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An announcement made by the Malta Gaming Authority in 2018 aimed to distance themselves from GameArt

As word of the threat started to spread, the casino community, along with several major industry representatives, rallied to show their support for Bigwinboard, even offering legal assistance in case of a dispute. Granted, the threat was ignored, disregarded as bullying tactics and an attempt to scare Bigwinboard into submission.

Bigwinboard being a Swedish company operating under Swedish law, it was quickly concluded there was no case for GameArt to pursue – ‘corporate defamation’, as it turns out, does not exist in Swedish law in order to protect against exactly these sort of things, which is, big corporations with large resources set out to silence critics.

Bigwinboard encourages game studios and industry representatives to comment on articles, either directly using the commentary section, or through other means of communication. GameArt, however, has remained silent, choosing to resort to legal threats instead. In spite of the ensuing wave of gamer protests and casino community outrage, GameArt is yet to withdraw its threat of legal action.

As for GameArt’s first Megaways title, which they choose to base around controversial casino streamer Roshtein, the game was delayed, rebranded, and later released as “Rosh” Megaways instead. According to reliable sources, it was Big Time Gaming who pressured GameArt into changing the title, possibly in an attempt to distance themselves and their IP from the streamer. However, many of Bigwinboard’s readers remain sceptical of Big Time Gaming’s decision to license its game engine and brand to a provider such as GameArt, something that has been expressed in the comments section as well as on other social media platforms.

Bigwinboard is known as an independent website that has become popular for its integrity, unbiased slots reviews and, most importantly, for its tireless efforts to help players make educated decisions. Unfortunately, bloggers and online media are increasingly subjected to legal threats and abusive lawsuits, making it all the more important for sites such as Bigwinboard to stand its ground. Attempts to silence Bigwinboard is not only an attack on the site itself but also against all of those thousands of readers and players who find value in its content.

Bigwinboard promises to keep readers informed on the situation and any further developments. Needless to say, GameArt remains blacklisted as they have been since 2018 and will continue to be until further notice.

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