Chrono Resurrection laid to rest
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Sep 10th 2004 at 10:15AM }
It's always unfortunate when copyright laws interfere with genuine creativity. Thus is the case
with Chrono Ressurection, an amateur remake of the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger, for the PC—and did we mention it was
going to be in 3D?! Yes, this was certainly a labor of love, but alas, it was brought to a halting stop when
Square-Enix issued a Cease & Desist order. As a parting gift, the developers have left us with a handful of
screenshots, a trailer, and the lasting memory of what could have been. R.I.P. (Visit the link below to pay your
respects)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nowak @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Copyright law isn't interfering with creativity.
The fact that these people have to use someone else's already established IP to make their own derivative game is what is interfering with creativity.
Bill @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Nowak is right -- if it weren't for copyright laws we'd all be playing Hamlet: The Videogame. Whoever made that Chrono Resurrection is very talented, and I'm sure they could just switch the characters up a bit and have a great game.
Md @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Hamlet is in the public domain and can be used by anyone for anything, so that argument really doesn't work.
Twist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
...you don't announce that you are doing something like this to the whole world until you are finished.
Why can't more companies be like Bungie and embrace the fan created efforts (or at least let them exist). There are RTS mods based on Halo current in the works and Bungie hasn't done anything to stop them.
arich @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
The problem is, that when companies discover copyright infringements, they have no choice but to defend their copyright. Failure to do so can be used as defense in court that they have abandoned their claims to that copyright.
That's why all companies have to do this.
kakarotch @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
There has to be a reason they shut the game down.. I mean, Chrono Trigger is a hit title so $quare-penix probably want to make their own version. Is anyone else with me when I say that final fantasy is just going to suck balls with this merger...?
Bloody Mary @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I agree...
maybe they even stolen the idea of a remake!!!!
hehehe
..
but anyway...
there is nothing that can be done???
like... contract the one that was making the game...
this one is a very talented person...
at last.. the pictures are great!!!!
(sorry for the bad english guys!!!)
Egypt MAN @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
O.K. first of all the final fantasys kick ass but thats not the point... I don't mind the Copyright law people, but I don't think they realise how important this game was to everyone of it's popularity. They most likely new it would put us all down. One second im bursting with excitement, when I read the news I'm bursting with anger. I literally slammed the desk. They just want to do there job.... I don't understand why they would close such an amasing classic and forget the project. I am absesed woth games like these, you might call me a Square-enix freak.Even so i pay my respects to this game.
peelems @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Personally, I believe that Square Enix took an extreme and mainly stupid course of action towards this project. Why not embrace this or allow it, they get loads of publicity, they allow their hit game to continue and live on and can make even more games, and they could have offered to "merge" with the creators of Resurrection. Millions of people would have bought it just to play more Chrono. It allows the creator's dreams to redo a classic, nay a "Legend" that ushered in a new and extremely popular gameplay with Final Fantasy I, and allows Square Enix to get large amounts of money. In short, I believe that Square Enix should have offered a "merger" before telling them to "cease and desist".
a very angry person @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Very true, Square-Enix really wasn't thinking when they slammed the cease and desist on the Chrono Resurrection project; merging was definitely an option. I'm pretty sure millions of other fans out there screamed out 4-letter words just like me and think Square-Enix is unforgivable for this. This is just another example of a waste of pure talent and effort. May the project rest in peace.
Propagator4 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
To all of you asking about the copyright laws: Yes, they're legit, but there is something that can be done. There's a petition going around asking Square-Enix to remake Chrono Trigger themselves. Check it out:
http://vizzed.com/ctremake/
Toast @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I'm not up on my history, have there been any noteworthy re-releases? Square has teased with the FFVII remake but have not delivered, and now they are shutting down this Chrono remake. Are they not wanting to remake games because they want to respect what they created and leave it in that time frame, or do they just think that the revenue streams from these projects won't be there?? (most people clamoring for a remake are the hardcore minority)
Also, if it is all about money...
I am assuming that these guys were remaking the game for nothing (or very close to it) So wouldn't it make sense for Square to soak them up for peanuts and then turn around and sell their work for millions?
SonicRift @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
1. Why would a company like Square-Enix merge with some guy coding in his garage. In other situations, they could have bought out the creator, but he is stealing their ideas, and there is no reason to pay him theft.
2. If they were to buy him out, the game would be far from the professional standards of Square-Enix. They would have to sort through the original code and clean it up, as well as adding their own additions. It would be cheaper to make their own.
3. Square-Enix doesn't have a history for remaking their games. Not many games from the last decade have been remade. The original Chrono Trigger is fine as it is. It sold well on the SNES and is still sought after. It sold well with some FMV additions on PS1 with FF4. If it was released for GBA, it would sell well. There isn't a reason to remake it because releasing it in original form would sell just as well as a remake.
Q @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Square made a real mistake here. It's not about money (I'm fine with them wanting the proceeds), it's not about protecting their IP (which they should), and it's not about stealing (how are you stealing from a game that is already made and then making it identical?). This is about costumer loyalty. Why did we love the FF series and Chrono Trigger? Because they came from a small unknown Japanese developer and their games spoke to us on a personal level that few other games didn't. It is also a part of most of our childhoods. To this day one of my best gaming memories was playing CT for the first time on a friend's SNES.
Projects like this can do a lot to help SE. Instead of a cease and desist, why not grant the creator a license to distribute but not for profit? They were in it because they loved the game. Let us old gamers relive a few fond memories of a great game. Releastically, how much money would this project make or how many people would actually go through the trouble of getting this project running on their computer? This is only a diservice to the fans of CT and it could have been such a great PR coup for SE (who have garnered quite a bit of backlash from some long time customers) much like what Bungie did with Halo.
This is why I don't like going to parties with lawyers.