Japanese publisher Atlus is suing two people who have been maintaining a private server for the defunct Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine MMO.

The case was actually filed back in December 2021 – spotted by Twitter user MarshSMT – and claims that the two defendants, Rekuiemi Games and COMP_hack, are in "blatant violation of US copyright law" by setting up the ReImagine server. This is a private fan-run server that resurrected Imagine back in 2020.

Atlus adds that the duo copied its website for Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine which hosted downloads for "an exact or near exact copy" of the original game, aka ReImagine.

Atlus is seeking damages of $25,000 per violation, as well as the shutting down of all sites and servers related to the named servers.

Shin Megami Tensei Imagine was launched in 2007 in Japan ahead of releases in North America and Europe in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The game was shut down in 2016.

Private servers for MMOs – both active and dead – are nothing new, as is the question of their legality.