Following news of a
grand jury subpoena in New York, Rockstar Games and owners Take-Two Interactive have become involved in another legal battle, this time over royalties from the video game adaptation of the movie
The Warriors.
Roger Hill, who played gang leader Cyrus in the original 1979 movie, has filed a suit demanding $250,000 and a court order barring the use of his likeness, according to a New York Daily News report. The suit maintains that Take-Two and Rockstar have generated at least $37 million in revenue from the game.
Hill, who currently works at a library at the Manhattan business college, further claims that Rockstar attempted to involve him in the creation of the game, offering to pay for the use of his name and voice, but he declined.
The character of Cyrus is killed at the beginning of the game, which acts as a catalyst for the events of both the game and movie upon which it is based.
As reported by the Daily News, a Take-Two spokesman has commented that the company “has a valid third-party license for the rights to use Roger Hill's likeness and the character of Cyrus in
The Warriors video game and related marketing materials”.
