Maker of ‘furniture store horror survival game’ gets lawsuit threats from IKEA

The Store is Closed is an indie horror survival game still in development by creator Jacob Shaw. In the game, players are stuck inside a never ending furniture store and are being hunted by mutant staff and freaky furniture-like monsters. Players need to stay alive by using the surrounding furniture to craft weapons and fortifications. Shaw recently received a letter from IKEA legal representatives asking him to make changes to the game, and has threatened legal action if he does not comply.

The letter stated that, "Your game uses a blue and yellow sign with a Scandinavian name on the store, a blue box-like building, yellow vertical striped shirts identical to those worn by Ikea personnel, a gray path on the floor, furniture that looks like Ikea furniture, and product signage that looks like Ikea signage. All the foregoing immediately suggest that the game takes place in an Ikea store."

Shaw responded by saying that he is willing to change aspects of the game to reduce the IKEA-like similarities because “He’d rather not get sued”. For now, his solution is "basically just ripping out anything that is blue or yellow and adding some garish red everywhere," he said. "Removing all the Scandinavian furniture, changing all the posters, probably remove the path."

The whole situation is reminiscent of the Streisand effect which is a name for the phenomenon in which attempts to hide, censor, or prevent access to something have the opposite result. IKEA making a big fuss about the indie game has brought more attention to the game than there otherwise would have. One benefit for Shaw and his furniture game is that IKEA has definitely done some free marketing for him.