Vivendi Games Unit Sues Interplay

Vivendi Universal Games, a subsidiary of French entertainment conglomerate Vivendi Universal, has sued Interplay Entertainment Corp. for allegedly violating a contract that gives Vivendi exclusive rights to publish Interplay’s games.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that Irvine-based Interplay made “flagrant attempts to terminate VUG’s exclusive rights” to publish its games.

Neither Vivendi nor Interplay returned calls seeking comment.

Interplay, which makes the “Baldur’s Gate” series of games, is controlled by French game publisher Titus Interactive.

In its suit, Vivendi said that Interplay sought to get out of its contract by falsely claiming that Vivendi improperly withheld up to $3.4 million in payments.

-- Alex Pham