Remember back in February when EA referred to Activision as "a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy"? That was pretty funny. What's not so funny, however, is that Activision sued Double Fine yesterday for allegedly "not delivering Brutal Legend on time," among other things.
As reported by AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney, "the lawsuit claims Activision paid Double Fine about $15 million to develop 'Brutal Legend,' but the studio missed a key deadline last year," and "said it would need another nine months and $7 million to complete the game."
The two companies attempted to negotiate an agreement, but that never happened, according to Activision's suit. Furthermore, "Activision contends it never relinquished its rights to the game and that Double Fine improperly transferred 'Brutal Legend' to EA."
Activision feels "irreparable harm" has been incurred, because it A) lost Brutal Legend and B) won't have the opportunity to sell DLC for the game unless the October 13 release is not prevented. As far as I'm concerned, this is a dick move of the highest degree.
Jordan Devore is Destructoid's PC gaming manager and founding ginger editor. He is said to be easy to love but difficult to know. When Samit inquired about his curious bio photo Jordan simply replied:
"bitches love sandcastles" ... yet, there is no sandcastle in that photo. We may never truly understand his ways.
Likes
Platformers, Pixel-based graphics, Stickerbrush Symphony, Pokemon, Leaderboards
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
88 comments | showing # 1 to 50
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
2:52 PM on 06.04.2009
| 
Or maybe they're planning to resurrect Hitler or something.
Either way, shut your face Activision. Just because you now see that this would have made you tons of moolah doesn't mean you can bitch and whine to get a slice of the pie.
Didn't they not even WANT Brutal Legend?
Yeah but they got pissy butthurt now they know it will be fucking incredible.
B) won't have the opportunity to sell DLC for the game]
Yeah... Activision.
What's the implication of "boycotting" Activision?
Prototype
Diablo 3
Starcraft 2
Guitar Hero
CoD
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
The new transformers game.
Anybody up for that one?
Double Fine drags their feet, misses a deadline.
Double Fine demands another 7 million to finish the game.
Activision tells them to go fuck themselves.
EA then illegally scoops up 15 million worth of work for nothing (or close to it), and you guys jump all over ACTIVISION?
Pfft, Activision payed for the construction of a game that was purely out of Schafer's mind, despite of publisher the content would have been too similar if not exactly the same.
That point made, Activision dumped the thing away as something they could not explode, they snoozed it and lost the boat.
Yes. Activision cut ties to the project and Double Fine shopped it to EA, and didn't give care about until it started getting a lot of favorable coverage. Activision would be well advised to drop the case, and dump their legal fees into making yet another Guitar Hero game no one will give a crap about, or milking CoD.
@t0pc0w You obviously haven't been following the story and are only listening to Activision's version of it.
Sierra agrees to publish Brutal Legend. Sierra finances it, which Double Fine appreciates very much. Activision buys Sierra a while after. Activision drops every single game from Sierra's publishing roster except for the Crash the Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon titles (with one or two others) and tells all the other games (including Brutal Legend, WET, and Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena) that they're on their own now. Again: Activision WILLINGLY MAKES THE DECISION THEMSELVES TO DROP BRUTAL LEGEND.
They all go off in separate directions, Double Fine hooks up with EA for the publishing rights. Activision mopes, EA goes "neener neener" in their direction a little. Activision now wants Double Fine to stop making the game, because if they can't have it, nobody can, even though - I repeat - ACTIVISION WILLINGLY DROPPED THE GAME OF THEIR OWN WILL AND ACCORD. This isn't some Duke Nukem shit where the developer was incompetent.
Good luck getting ANY money out of Atari
Are they that desperate that they have to sue a dev of a new IP, when they have much larger cash cows in their stable? embarassing.
The only title out of that list I'd want is Starcraft 2...
This is a huge dick move from Activision and I really don't think they're going to win this one. All indications point to Activision giving up on the title rather than giving it proper time to grow, so hopefully our justice system has some common sense (of course, this is the same justice system that like OJ go free... fuck).
God, I really just wish Brutal Legend would go the fuck away. There is way too much hoopla about everything this title has been through and the overhype its gotten since long before any of us saw gameplay is ridiculous. I personally think this game is the next Too Human in waiting, but ugh. Damnit I'm sick of hearing about Brutal Legend.
Activision and EA are the nessassary evils of this industry. Abusing what we need to get us what we want.
DJP3DRO is right but I wanna say Activision side of the story is pretty dumb too Let's see here.
Activision gives Double Fine 15 million to make a game. That's cool
Double Fine drags their feet, misses a deadline. They could have rushed the game and made some shit any idiot would buy but they have standards.
Double Fine demands another 7 million to finish the game. Again standards.
Activision tells them to go fuck themselves. I probably would to that's fair
EA then illegally scoops up 15 million worth of work for nothing (or close to it), and you guys jump all over ACTIVISION?
Because they didn't give two shits about the game until they realised maybe if they had just paid them the 7 million they could have had a fantastic game but instead they fucked it up and went all if I can't have it no one can
If someone divorces you and aborts your baby then you knock another girl up she can't then say you have to abort this one too (Bad metaphor)
It's demonstrable that Activision abandoned the property with no intention to protect the assets (just like Ghostbusters.. which they aren't suing for surprisingly); EA will win this because they have as much money for lawyers as Activision. Activision is just trying to disrupt EA as much as possible by what can only be called corporate bullying.
Dude. BEST BURN EVER! Seriously SOMEONE GET THIS MAN SOME CAKE!
Two third party publishing monsters one which joined the light side (EA) when the other joined the dark one some time ago (Activision) with a huge army of attorneys.
A brutal legend indeed.
...That is all.
Re: today's bummer news...in the words of the inimitable Ms. Beyonce Knowles, "If you liked it you shoulda put a ring on it".
From Joystiq:
Activision Rep: "Have you been to the booth yet?"
Xav: "Not yet. I want to check out Brutal Legend... wait sorry, that's EA. You guys used to have it."
Activision: "Yeah. Don't rub it in."
Epic Burn.
Activision didn't cut ties, it dropped interest. Not continuing to fund a game that they are contractually publishing is well within their rights to do so.
At best, you can call this a dick move. But they have the legal rights to do so.
You couldn't get funding from investors, not release the contractually agreed product, then get funding from different investors and expect the initial investors to be happy with your decision to use $15 million of their money to develop the project that you and different investors will reap the benefit of.
I understand people are pissed, hell I'm dying to play it and then we get this shit but if Activision really did pay 15 million with a deadline and then Double Fine needed 7 more and there are documents proving this then Activision has a case, its called breach of contract.
I hope nothing comes off it but if there is a case what I see happening is the game gets published and get Activision gets a chunk of the profits.
~rolls eyes~
Exactly!
I want Rocktober, I neew Rocktober!