Activision indie games competition detailed

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jun 2nd 2010 5:00PM

[Elisabeth Caren]

Activision has laid out the rules for its "Independent Games Competition." Announced during DICE by CEO Bobby Kotick, the competition will be open to US-based indie developers and conducted in two phases. The first round has already begun and is set with an August 31, 2010 cutoff for submissions. The first and second place winners will receive $175K and $75K, respectively. The second round of competition will be announced at a later date.

Here comes the part that some may consider the "Ursula clause": Speaking with IndustryGamers, Laird Malamed, SVP of development at Activision, noted that if the company does decide to publish the winning entry -- which is not guaranteed -- that it will own the intellectual property. For anyone interested in participating, please make sure to read IndustryGamers' entire interview with Malamed and take note of any other little provisos in the rules.

Source

Tags: activision, activision-independent-games-competition, indie, laird-malamed

Reader Comments (60)

Black thins the gut.

White enhances the gut.

If I was getting paid to dress Kotick I'd through anything on him, spew some bull and then take my money.

*throw

And white on black? Hellooo moobs.

his face shows evidence of drinking

Great. So I make a game, Activision publishes it for me, and then - if I'm lucky and it's succesful - they can run off and make countless shitty sequels of their own. If there's not a clause in there to (at the very least) give the creator a cut of the profits of any later IP incarnations, then this is a bum deal.

You get some cold hard cash for the trouble. You'll also get (presumably) some notoriety which could include some kind of a position elsewhere if you so desired. It's not a total loss, unless you create an amazing franchise thats good enough to create a billion successful sequels from. In which case, why even enter the contest?

You should be fine.

It seems like the only developers that really have problems with Activision are the insubordinate ones.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

I'd get all insubordinate on Kotick's ass too if I wasn't paid my royalties.

Except you have $175,000 (or $75,000) and a good reputation as the creator of a successful franchise.

Oh yeah, what a bum deal.

Really, why can't you make at least that much on your own if your game is good?

Why is cash always cold and hard?

@Johnny The Tiger

Owning the IP is where the money is at. That is exactly why Activision is doing this and why they milk (exploit, to use Koticks words) everything to death. A small sum of cash and "recognition" is nothing when you give up your brain child. I can't respect some one who doesn't respect their artists. I hope no one enters this with their A material.

@skrame: Ask Infinity Ward how they like their deal and how they think they were treated. At least the winner knows he's screwed if the title takes off.

Really. Has Activision sucked the life from their current slaves, that they have to resort to a 'contest' to find new ideas to assimilate?

I hate you guys. With all my soul.

YOU have the opportunitty to create a game, and get funding for it, just because you live within the continental U.S.(Or Hawaii), and yet you are already complaining about losing royalties. If I wasn't in Puerto Rico righti now, I'd so enter!

Did you know the SImpsons where created when Matt Groenning didn't want to lose the rights to previous creation(crappy shit you haven't heard of) and MADE THEM UP ON THE SPOT? Oh, they belong to Fox. But old Matt isn't poor as far as I know. And he gets to create media. He gets his vision shown to the whole world, and is in fact celebrated.

Fox DOES get most of it. But if it was such a bum deal, why would Matt stay on it?

What you have here is an opportinity many people would jump at. But I guess potential royalties and money you don't have right now are more important than whatever ideas you could have for games.

In summation, I hate your lucky asses.

If you read the fine print, there is a clause that states that, in addition to forfeiting the ownership rights of your game to Activision, you also forfeit your soul to Kotick personally.

You forgot to mention that you also forfeit you children to him as well.

@Osnaz:

Now, I know the man is evil but surely you can't be implying he'll EAT THE BABIES!?!

No silly Rudy, he eats the fetus, Kotick is the #1 cause of abortions in the U.S. and China!

Look at his picture Rudy, he has already been eating them.

kind of scared rudy?

*shudders*

I don't wanna get in there!

He's so cavernously fat!

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153901/

If you're submitting, I would also check to see if all contestant's submissions become property of Activision. It would suck to submit and lose and not being able to pursue your game.

Great Point.

The source article does address that:

"LM: That’s a great question. If we do a publishing deal, then IP ownership is discussed, and we get the rights to it. For anything else that is submitted or doesn’t win, they keep their IP."

Although it would seem there isn't much of a discussion if no matter what, they can take the rights of the winner.

What is really meant by IP here? Surely this isn't based on gameplay more than creating a cool looking (aka marketable and exploitable) character to revolve a franchise around. There are plenty of non-game designers out there that can do that.

I guess my point is, if your IP's real worth is in the game play design and not the characters, then I'd be cautious with entering this contest. Whether you win or not, they will see your idea. At that point, it's conceivable for your idea to be modified slightly and mutated into "new" exploitable IP without providing you with any recourse. Lord knows that game play elements get "borrowed", recycled, and re-distributed at nearly every publisher all the time.

The entrants keep their IP. Even if you win, you keep it, unless you do not want it.

Details:
http://oneofswords.com/2010/06/independent-games-competition-its-on/

Or you could read the rules yourself, y'know? They're there. You don't have to guess.

It seems the word to the wise is that if this is your lifes work and something near and dear to your heart you shouldn't enter it into this competition because of the chance (however unlikely) that you'd win. That 175 or 75 large won't buy back the sleepless nights because your baby of a creation is being raped and molested in a yearly incarnation by Activision. If you have a neat little idea for a fun game then why not try and parlay that into some industry recognition and a pocket full of cash?

I can understand Activision wanting to retain ownership of the IP, but, it doesn't seem like much of a contest or the way they initially explained it. Seems like it's more of a oppourtunity for them to sift through hundreds is not thousands (I don't know how many) of games and getting the pick of the litter since creativity has never been their forte.

On second thought it does sound like a contest. It just doesn't sound like a creator friendly one. But, this is Activision ...

Activision does not retain ownership of the IP unless you a) win and b) give it to them. The contest has no IP transferral whatsoever. Laird's comment is jumping a step, assuming the Activision deal on the table would include IP, and that the winner would agree to it. That's a lot of maybes.

In short, the contest rules are different from the potential publishing agreement.

75k for me potentially 250 million for activision. Sounds fair right?

Im confused by point #2) "may include a video or game play demo (must
come with extensive instructions on installations and use or it will not be
considered)" ... does that mean it has to have a demo, or not?

Is he really that fat?

No, the dark lighting makes him thinner.

If I had the chance, I would take my repulsor rays and personally blast Kotick.

Looks to me like he has already been hit by a few repulsive rays...

I love how they make it seem like they're being helpful and generous and really sticking their necks out for the little guy, but honestly, there's no risk for them but tons of possible reward. Oy.

I think Bobby is slowly turning into a whale.

So if an indie entered and won, do they have to let Activision publish the game? Or can they take the money and run, electing not to have it published by Activision.

Seems like if Kotick and company can choose not to publish the winner, the winner should be able to choose not to be published.

Somehow I doubt that is the case though.

IT'S A TRAP

It's amazing how those words jumped unbidden into my mind seconds before I glanced at your post. Upvote for you sir, for, uhm.. well being smart like me.

The winners will obviously never get their price.
Its against Activision policy to pay anyone anything.

GET IN MY BELLLY! Oh wait..this game competition doesn't sound bad at all. But a word of the wise to them, history has shown how people that create something good gets kicked by the company. those end up 'spanking' the company themselves....

Remember when .....

Nintendo kicked Sony to the curb in favor of carts for the N64?
Disney Kicked Charles Schultz aka the legendary 'Peanuts' creator ?

....do I even need to go on ? But ah well, can't tell big companies anything.

I would like to punch him.

Aim for the belly; it's his weak spot, Mac.

He's doing his "I'm the Messiah" impression again.

Christ, Kotick! Change out of your goddamn pee-jays next time, would you?!

Kotick is the new Gabe Newell.

Since when was Gabe Newell the personification of all evil within existence?

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Activision indie games competition detailed

Reader Comments (60)

Posted: Jun 2nd 2010 5:02PM curiousmike said

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Posted: Jun 2nd 2010 5:35PM Osnaz said

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