Notch challenges Bethesda to Quake 3 duel over 'Scrolls' legal dispute

That is seriously cool. I'd hope they'd accept, because I really want to watch the match.

My biggest issue with this whole worry about confusion is the fact that I probably could not name one person I know that call the ES games by ES (insert iteration here). We call them Morrowind, Oblivion and Skrim. So did people that came into the gamestop that I used to work at. I'll bet most people are unaware that the ES games even START with ES.

They should do this right damn now. The world would be a much better place if things were settled via quake 3.

TheVoid said: "Do they really think us that stupid?" Yes. Yes, they do.

I'm with Leghar on this one - is Bethesda actually afraid that someone is going to inadvertently reach for a game called "Scrolls" instead of their upcoming Skyrim (or Oblivion or Morrowind for that matter)? Do they really think us that stupid? In fact, now that I think of it, no one I know refers to the Elder Scrolls series as "Elder Scrolls". Rather, they just shoot straight for the differentiating title, i.e. Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, etc. Has Bethesda not done enough market research to realize this, especially considering how protective they appear to be of this brand? And with SO MANY games set in sword-swinging fantasy worlds, is it realistic for one developer to maintain a stranglehold on the word "scrolls"? Now, if a developer announced an upcoming first person RPG entitled "The Old Scrolls: Miryks", Bethesda might have a point, but aside from the fantasy setting (and the sharing of a single word common to just about any fantasy setting), everything else seems fairly apples-to-oranges between the two games. So from my perspective, it seems to boil down to this: Notch continues to win our hearts and minds with his refreshing spirt and imagination while Bethesda aligns itself with money-grubbing industry dasterdlies like EA and Activision through shinangans inspired by clueless suits while insulting the intelligence of the average gamer. And here I thought Bethesda was a different sort. In any case, I love Notch's proposed solution. I don't think any self-respecting gamer could disagree that he's playing the "honor" card in a big way here. Sorry Bethesda, but no one is rooting for you in this case (except maybe a room full of blowhard suits). Your best move is to throw down the legal guantlets and grab a mouse & keyboard and brush up on your Quake 3 skills. Not that it would matter much - win or lose, you will at least have proven to the rest of us that you are a company of gamers that respects and cares about gamers. Otherwise, passing on Notch's challenge and continuing to pursue legal action will make that "horse armor" business from several years ago seem like a PR bed of roses compared to the bad taste this will leave in everyone's mouths. Which, by the way, will probably impact sales of Skyrim more than this delusional lawsuit's claim, and not in a good way...

This won't ever happen, but I quite enjoy Notch's attitude. BTW, for all you Bethesda haters, Notch is a huge bethesda fan, and even sat down in an interview with Todd Howard. And Zeni MAx has a right to worry, as Minecraft launches on the same day as Skyrim

"Refreshingly awsome" indeed.

Everyone is talking about how much respect they've gained for Notch. Notch really hasn't done much... If Bethesda accepts this challenge, I will gain an ungodly amount of respect for them.

You could say that this legal dispute.... ...just went up a notch. YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

Go Notch. Be interesting to see how Bethesda responds to this.

Hell, I won't lie, I don't like Minecraft all that much, but I will buy the game just to give my money to these guys, just gained a lot of respect for them

NOtch is the best! and I wish stuff like this lawsuit would go away

THUNDERDOME!!! Two men enter, one man leaves.

Awesome proposal Bonus points for using Tyrion Lanister's Trial by combat as an example XD

since ZeniMax owns Id wouldn't they have an unfair advantage?

I bet bethesda will decline because they are at no gain from doing this over just sueing them outright. If they do, though, then this will be entertaining. Though I do wonder why Bethesda accused them in the first place unless they really think their audience are dumb shits. C'mon, if I made a game called 'Duty' doesn't mean people are going to get it confused with 'Call of Duty'

1. This is an awesome way to decide something. 2. Do Bethesda's lawyers REALLY think that we are that fucking retarded to not be able to tell the difference between "The Elder Scrolls : # Name" and ... "Scrolls" Really Bethesda? F*** You.

Notch is such a badass

That's AWESOME! Seriously, they should solve ALL major disputes this way. Girlfriend cheating on you with another guy? Halo. Gang wars? Team Fortress. World Wars? Battlefield. And not CoD, because it's shit.

If I had my way this would be the means of settling any legal dispute