A Chinese video game studio accused of making a very similar version ofhas recently fired back in a statement , saying that "some media and competitors who have spread the unreal information and rumors against us, [and] we reserve the right to protect ourselves and pursue legal actions."

The company, Moonton, which makes the Magic Rush and Mobile Legends games, did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment.

Earlier this month, Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends, sued Moonton in federal court in Los Angeles, accusing the Chinese company of copyright and trademark infringement. The lawsuit, which was first reported by Techdirt and Dot Esports, lays out a compelling argument. Riot Games says that in 2016, it discovered Magic Rush. When that title was first released, "[it] contained a number of playable heroes or champions, each of which was a near carbon copy of one of LoL’s champions," Riot notes.

For example, LoL features a "Annie," a young girl whose special abilities include the power to summon a toy bear to stun and attack enemies and to shoot a fan-shaped spray of fire. Magic Rush featured a hero known as "Emily," a young girl whose abilities likewise included the power to summon a toy bear to stun and attack enemies and to shoot a fan-shaped spray of fire.

In the civil complaint, Riot Games says that last year it informed Moonton of its alleged infringement. Then, Moonton made "certain changes" to the game, only then to release Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA, which among other things, uses a battlefield that appears nearly identical to the Summoner's Rift from League of Legends.

The lawsuit contains numerous scene-for-scene and character-for-character comparisons between the two games.

The issue of cloning games is one that has been around for decades, going back at least to 1988.

Justin Kranzl, a spokesman for Riot Games, e-mailed: "Thanks for your mail—we don't discuss matters under legal consideration however."