The Red Dead Redemption 2 Pinkerton lawsuit has been dropped by Take-Two, leading to a quiet end for the suit. Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations filed a cease and desist order to Take-Two in December which the publisher responded to with the now-dropped suit in January.
Speaking to The Verge, a Take-Two representative said, “Take-Two can confirm that the present-day Pinkerton Consulting and Investigation company has withdrawn its claims against Red Dead Redemption 2, and Take-Two will not continue legal action against Pinkerton.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.”
Take-Two dropped the suit earlier this week following Pinkerton withdrawing their claims against the game publisher. Pinkerton Consulting and Investigation has not issued a statement regarding the lawsuit.
The present-day Pinkertons filed a cease and desist that claimed Red Dead Redemption 2 was unfairly using the company’s intellectual property, and could have negative effects on their image. The company took issue predominantly with the portrayal of Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross, two prominent Pinkerton agents in the game. Pinkerton was seeking a lump sum or ongoing royalties for the use of the Pinkerton name. Take-Two’s suit argued that Red Dead Redemption 2 is protected by the first amendment. The suit also accused the Pinkerton company of attempting to profit from Red Dead Redemption 2.
Pinkerton National Detective Agency played a major role in 19th century America, acting as strikebreakers and intimidators on behalf of corporate America. Their appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2 mirror historical accounts of Pinkertons working on behalf of people like Andrew Carnegie.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 23 million copies as of February 2019, with 17 million being sold in the game’s first few weeks available. It follows outlaw Arthur Morgan and the van der Linde gang during the tail-end of the 19th century. Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PS4 and Xbox One.
