Papaya Fails to Shed False-Ad Claims in Skillz Row Over Bots

A federal judge denied Papaya Gaming Ltd. summary judgment on claims that it used bots in online games advertised as head-to-head competitions.

Plaintiff Skillz Platform Inc. provided sufficient evidence to allow a jury to find in its favor, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said Monday.

Skillz sued its rival Papaya in March 2024 and alleged Papaya lured away its customers by advertising games as multiplayer human competitions when Papaya’s player pool also included computerized bots. Both companies make real-money skill-based mobile games, but Skillz mostly offers competition between two players while Papaya offers multiplayer ...