Talk about confusing. Activision, where did you go wrong? | |
I'll admit, I'd never heard of Scratch until this article. | |
Ugh. | |
We've covered the game before, all this means is you need to read the site EVEN MORE. | |
I knew there was a DJ game coming out, but i really dont care | |
Google.com: I've got a lovely bunch of articles | |
That screenshot makes it look pretty neat. Has an Aphro Samurai Punk anime look. Sounds like EA is being a dick again. Damn suits. WAIT IT'S NOT EA? oh right. Evil empire title has switched. EA is the struggling earnest artist now. Shit. I'm so confused. | |
Lots about Activision lately, I feel bad that we don't loathe EA as much anymore. | |
As much as I consider DJ games to be incredibly bankrupt things, Activision just earned major Dark Side points. | |
Almost, but you were two syllables too long. | |
They're risking the wrath of God. As we all know, "God is a DJ" (at least according to Faithless). | |
assuming theres truth to the allegations (which wouldnt surprise me); its nice to see that now EA are supposedly having a change of heart the new big guys on the block are happily stepping in to fill the massive, corporate dicks role | |
I was pumped to see this come out this summer. A Numark designed controller on a refreshed Beatmania with real hip-hop industry artists backing the title rang more than the requisite bells. Now it looks like Activision has figured out how to alienate a potential audience _before_ anyone releases a game for that audience. Activision trademarked "DJ Hero" earlier this year. I'm guessing they don't want another Rock Band-like better version hanging around, pointing out their flaws and industry tone-deafness, pun intended. | |
Shameful, truly shameful. | |
I wasn't going to buy the game anyways, but it's really stupid to see a game get flushed just because a company is afraid of a little competition. Rock Band already put a dent in their sales, they figure they don't need Mix Master Mike and QD3 coming out of left field taking more. | |
Now that this was necroed, I actually want to hear how it turned out. How bout it Keane? Any updates to be had? | |
I'm heavily inclined to favor Genius, but that might be purely due to the Brutal Legend cluster f**k. | |
I thought it was called DJ Hero. Or am I confusing this with another DJ GuitarHero/RockBand wannabe? | |
Oops. My bad for bumping. It was linked in the most popular column on the bottom. Not sure why. | |
Sounds like business as usual for Activision. | |
Well, DJ games are just a dumb idea so personally I don't really care about the struggle between these two developers. I dunno how pissed Genius could get, I mean really they are ripping off the original idea of music simulators from GH and just changing it. Main message here: buy Activision stock, as they are clearly becoming the Microsoft of game development. | |
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Scratch Publisher Sues Activision
Genius Products, the publisher of DJ game Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, have sued Activision, alleging that the company is trying to sabotage the release of their game. Begun, the DJ Game Wars have.
Genius and Numark Industries, the two companies publishing and manufacturing the game and peripherals for the upcoming Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, are suing Activision for allegedly trying to hinder the release of their game. Activision, they say, have engaged in "intentional interference with contract, breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets."
That's the gist of it. Here's where it gets confusing: Genius/Numark are suing 7 Studios, the company contracted to develop Scratch, as well. That's because, after a trouble-filled development period during which Genius claims it did its best to bail 7 Studios out of financial trouble, Activision made an offer to buy the game from Genius, and 7 Studios too. When Genius rejected what they claim was an unfair offer, Activision acquired 7 Studios, and is now using them to "impede the remaining work required by 7 Studios on the game in order to keep the game from being completed and going to market as scheduled," namely, before DJ Hero.
According to Genius, Activision wasn't exactly civil when it came to its interactions with Genius, either. "Scratch as an IP has no value because no one knows what Scratch is," Activision's Greg Deutsch is alleged to have said on a phone call. He added that if Genius tried to come at Activision they'd be running into a "legal buzz saw" and that unless Activision got Scratch, it'd never "see the light of day."
Even after Activision scooped up 7 Studios, Genius says it attempted to negotiate continuing their partnership. 7 Studios, however, was now asking for "commercially unreasonable" terms and more than twice the development fees. So Genius decided to take its IP and finish development itself. However, they allege that 7 Studios has been unwilling to hand over current builds of the game and in-progress prototypes of the Numark-designed turntable and beat button controllers.
[Via Gamasutra]
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