The Pinkertons may still harass the Van der Linde gang in your copy of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2‘ but it appears they’re done bothering Rockstar. The old detective agency turned modern security force had previously sued the maker of the hit video game for using agents of the same name that were depicted in the Wild West game.
According to the lawsuit, Rockstar owed Pinkerton Consulting + Investigations for the profits they gained in using the Pinkerton name in the games. Rockstar countersued, arguing that they could not use intellectual property rules over the Pinkerton name. The two sides had gone back and forth over it, with the detective agency over its desire to gain royalties every time the word “Pinkerton” is uttered in the game. Which, if you’ve played it, is a lot.
Gamesindustry.biz reported on Thursday, however, that the lawsuit had been withdrawn. Seeking comment about the matter, Take-Two, which published the Rockstar title, confirmed that the lawsuit was done and it had dropped its own suit against the Pinkertons in response to their initial legal action.
“Take-Two can confirm that the present day Pinkerton Consulting & Investigation company has withdrawn its claims against Red Dead Redemption 2, and Take-Two will not continue legal action against Pinkerton. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a work of fiction set in the late 1800s that references historical entities active during that time.”
In other Pinkertons news, the company was profiled in the New York Times earlier this week, detailing how it hopes to profit off the rising effects of climate change by providing security for corporations that hope to control natural resources.