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Take Two/Rockstar Reveals Plans, Designer Sues Over GTA
Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting the latest financial results of videogame publisher Take Two/Rockstar, including much information on new titles and plans. The company has announced Red Dead Revolver, "a stylish, western themed, gun-fighting extravaganza" for PS2/Xbox which was originally created for Capcom before developers Angel Studios became Rockstar San Diego and the project was handed over. Also noted is the "expected March release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City... in Japan", after the licensed-to-Capcom GTA 3 "has sold approximately 300,000 copies... making it one of the most successful debuts of a Western video game in Japan." The company also announced the return of the Army Men franchise on their budget Global Star label, following the dissolution of creator 3DO earlier this year. However, there are also a few issues, as the SEC are unhappy with previous financial dealings, and "plan to recommend civil action against the company for alleged accounting violations", and elsewhere, a Scottish game designer has filed a suit claiming he, uncredited, inspired the design of the Grand Theft Auto series.
More Army Men games. Perfect.
The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
Carmack said: "All your FPS Belong to Me"
-- ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space!
Even if Rockstar doesn't want to bother with the costs associated with porting and publishing, why don't they sell the code to someone else? It would make money among those of us who don't want to fork out several hundred dollars in the form of a new console, new controllers, memory cards, etc just to play GTA.
Forget that "it's not financially viable" bullshit. GTA would make money. Tony Hawk made money on the Dreamcast and even the N64 (where Tony Hawk 2 was released just months before the Gamecube).
The problem is, Rockstar is just too fucking greedy. They take bribes out the ass from Sony to keep GTA PS2-only, while taking bribes from Microsoft to port the game over to Xbox. Way to go, Rockstar...you found a clause in your contract that lets you screw everybody. And take all their money.
Wait, all of a sudden, I don't want GTA anymore at all. Fuck those asstards for taking an old idea and humping it dry, then demanding bribes just to put it on their platform. They think they're hot shit now? Shit, there's plenty of imitators out there- I'll just buy True Crime or Simpsons Hit & Run for Gamecube and get the same experience. But first, I'm gonna get really drunk and pee all over the GTA Vice City logo at EBGames. Fuck you Rockstar, I hope Santa shits in your stocking!
(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
this would be an open and shut case, and no one would ever be able to make a video game about crime. But who needs choice?
- Joe
This guy might want to be careful. The Haitians and the relatives of anyone who has been killed by some kid with a gun might sue him too.
I did read the article, and by which I mean actually read it, not skimmed it and inferred meaning into it. :P
That he showed it in a interview as 'an example of his practical ability' has no bearing on whether or not it was actually released (where possible, I show released and public examples of my software when in interviews).
The article simply says this about it:
His game, Crime Inc, which was developed between 1991 and 1993, involved gangs taking part in street crime.
It does not actually indicate if the game was released to the public. I'd like to know if it was, and if anyone has played it/seen it/knows of screen shots/reviews of it.
It remains to be seen whether is case has merit (like most readers I strongly suspect it does not) but it is a legitimate type of claim - I don't think it's like Carmack claming he had rights over all FPS's (which I think he very possibly could in the US, if he had a patent and pending no prior art). It's much more like Carmack claming rights over a 'game set in the future in which a space marine is sent to Mars and faces single handed armed combat with a large number of zombies and demons' (and the credibility of that claim would depend on exactly what ideas have been 'ripped off'). It's my understanding that the content of the game is the issue of debate (though I'd love to see more of Crime Inc, to know if their are other obvious similarities).
Somewhat iterestingly, I used to work in the building opposite DMA design in Dundee (and look out the window at them, less than 100 yards away), when I worked for SOL/Scottish Telecom. Dundee is a city with two Universities, and an economoy of low wages, mostly in the retail sector (due to complete collapse of industry in the area 1900's). As a result of being a small city, a good distance from any other similar sized cities, and having two Universities (yet with a low wage economy) it has no shortage of skilled workes who can be employed for far below market rates, and in the case of students and given the prestige of DMA, you only need to pay them very little indeed (you basically just need to feed them pizza).
I have heard many times from quite a few people that this is exactly what they did - employ interns as 'cheap/free labour'. This was not entirely a bad deal fo those employed, and they did so willingly, but if they are willing to take such gross advantage of students (who don't really know their own market worth, not only because they arnt in the market place, but because Dundee is not quite in touch with 'rest of the word') then it may set you thinking maybe they are willing to rip off someone interviewies idea.