Activision sues Double Fine over Brutal Legend

Brutal legend is starting to work its way into pop culture is some of it.

Probably there is a contractual differences as well.

Don't forget Chronicles of Riddick

Because other publishers (mainly Atari) paid Activision a million plus per title for Chrionicles of Riddick, Ghostbusters, and 50 Cent, while they as yet haven't received a payout for Brutal Legend. The payout scheme has been total bullshit of course, as the company that actually fronted costs on these IP's (Vivendi) is no more. Technically one could consider it Activision's "acquired debt", but it truly is nothing more than profiteering on someone else's efforts.

The "LOOK AT ME!" must be spoken in the Dark Knight Joker voice...ftw.

Unfortunately, the next Guitar Hero expansion pa- -*ahem*, sequel, will likely sell loads more than Brutal Legend. The development on those games are incredibly cheap, and only require a bit of investment in track licensing. It's a cash cow, and they're going to continue to milk it.

Just saying, it's a bit of a stretch to call Activision washed up.

Activision is hardly washed up. They're one of the most successful game companies out there right now thanks in no small part to business tactics like these as well as exploiting name brands like Guitar Hero despite declining product quality.

I don't like it anymore than you guys but these are the business practices that win.

i'm sure guitar hero would sell more than brutal legend. it's just stupid that they let the ip go and now want to make money off of it now that it's getting some press.

I say you snooze you lose. Activision is a successful game studio mostly because of their previous games. Right now there are many game studios that make games that are way better than what Activision puts out. They just milk Guitar Hero and Call of Duty.

Which is totally unjust and proves that our legal system is a JOKE AND A HALF.

Ugh.

I wish I could pirate the game and send the money for it directly to Tim Schafer, so Activision can't get a cut.

That's not even close to the real world scenario. Activision did not pay for the entire development, and they dropped the project which double fine had their own money in, and if they don't release a product then Double Fine loses as well.

So YOU are ok with a huge company canceling a project and pretty much destroying a small company simple so that another large company doesn't make a teeny bit of money off of it?

To use your little scenario this would be like an art gallery seeing your painting THAT YOU WERE ALREADY PAINTING and offering to advance you a little money for food while you finish it (NOT pay your light bill, mortgage, gas etc.). Then when you are almost done, they decide they don't want it and say they are not going to let you sell it at their gallery, so YOU take it to another gallery which lets you show and sell it. Then the original art gallery burst in and SUES YOU.

Karasudark, you should take some lessons in business. (or simple logic)

Simple business lessons? I work in the software industry. I've been a programmer for about 15 years. I watched the way EA moved in, bought Access Software, pillaged the games they made, and then fire everyone there who wasn't willing to take a pay cut and move to California. No small time game company has the money to go through the whole development cycle of a game without a publisher willing to back the game. An established company, with a number of games that can push a large number of units might be able to do it, but those companies can nearly always self-publish. And do you think a big softare company is just going to give 15 million dollars to a small company out of the goodness of their corporate heart? Not going to happen. Before any company hands over that much money, there are contracts in place that pretty much bind that game to the funding company. Once this hits court, its going to come out that Double Fine signed away part of the rights on the game, and their attempting to sell the game's publishing rights to EA is a breach of said contract. Activision and EA will come to a mutual agreement on this, wherein EA publishes the game but ends up paying royalties to Activision or pays a much larger then 15 million dollars to get the full rights to the game. Been there, watched the same kind of thing happen from the front lines of a company. So go cry all you want how Activision is evil, every company is this way. If a independant company had gone through EA, Microsoft, UBISoft, or anyone elseand got money to make a game, there are strings attached. And no company is going to just cut those strings. Activision may have scuttled development of the game, but ater sinking that much money into the development of it, no way are they just going to give EA a free 15 million on a game and go happily skipping through the flowers.

So before you go telling me to learn business or logic, go work in the software industry. Or even better, go wrap yourself in bacon and swim in the shark tank, that would be safer.

-Karasudark-

http://www.ea.com/games?franchise[]=franchise.rockband

Harmonix "makes it," but EA distributes it.

Or something like that.