The lawsuit was sparked by Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 (KotOR 2), its Nintendo Switch port, and the mod restoring cut content.
The lawsuit filed by players against Aspyr was resolved earlier this month. A fan brought the case after being outraged by what he described as false advertising, when DLC based on the KotOR 2 Restored Content Mod failed to materialize as part of the Nintendo Switch port. The dispute ended with a settlement between Aspyr and the plaintiffs, closing a two-and-a-half-year saga marked by numerous unexpected courtroom twists. Over the course of the case, Aspyr faced accusations of demonic possession, lawyers quoted Lil Wayne lyrics, and the company attempted to shield information it deemed critical trade secrets.
The saga began in the summer of 2023, when Malachi Mickelonis sued Aspyr for consumer fraud, claiming the company had misled him with the 2022 Nintendo Switch release of KotOR 2. In a YouTube video (see below), Aspyr briefly stated that DLC built around the KotOR 2 Restored Content Mod would arrive on Switch in the third quarter of the year. That DLC never appeared and was ultimately cancelled. Mickelonis was represented by former company lawyer Ray Kim, and events quickly took a strange turn. In November, Aspyr’s lawyers sought dismissal, arguing the Central District of California should sanction Kim and award legal costs.
During this period, Kim and Aspyr’s attorneys filed a series of motions. In one filing, Kim alleged that an Aspyr legal representative shouted at his client as if demon-possessed. The lawyer in question, Keith Scully of the Newman firm, later stated via email that he raised his voice to keep the discussion productive. Aspyr, meanwhile, advanced several defenses, initially arguing that offering free games as compensation for the cancelled DLC nullified the false advertising claim. The judge was not persuaded.
Aspyr’s lawyers then contended the DLC preview could not have been widely seen, as it appeared at the end of the YouTube video, noting many viewers switch away after the first five seconds. In April, Aspyr also sought expert testimony from former Blizzard production manager Frank Gilson, who stated the promised DLC had no economic value because it was based on fan-created content offered for free. Another notable aspect emerged from April filings, when Aspyr requested redactions.
Those documents included emails between Aspyr and Lucasfilm that, according to Aspyr, revealed a key trade secret: the identities of individuals responsible for granting access to Lucasfilm’s intellectual property. Aspyr argued these relationships took years, sometimes decades, to establish and that disclosure would cause lasting business harm. The court allowed the redactions.
The saga concluded when the judge ruled the case between Mickelonis and Aspyr could proceed to trial. By then, it had narrowed from a class action to a case involving fewer than 20 players, prompting settlement talks. A second lawsuit, this time between players and Disney after blocking the KotOR 2 Restored Content Mod from DLC use, also ended in an out-of-court settlement.
