Former Red Octane Staff Prohibited from Music Games

In what seems to be some ugly fallout from the Guitar Hero / RedOctane purchase, former Octane employees John Tam and Corey Fong are now legally prohibited from working on rhythm games. Activision has successfully brought suit against the men, arguing that they were using proprietary information gained under employ at the corporation to aid their new venture. As part their work after leaving RedOctane, Tam and Fong had begun working with the Reverb and The Ant Commandos groups on a demo for a dance/guitar game. "The demo incorporated elements of Guitar Hero and StepMania, a free dance game for the PC that supports dancepads and includes a step editor. The pair used it to solicit partners and funding for Lodestone Entertainment, the injunction states. As part of the injunction, the pair is prohibited from distributing or using the demo in any capacity and acting on or disclosing any Activision trade secrets. They are also prevented from taking steps to develop drum-, guitar-, or synthesizer-based games for the next year, nor can they work on any Xbox 360 controllers for Guitar Hero II until six months after the game's release this week. "

Comments

No Rythym whatsoever?

[Rachel Lucid]

Isn't that akin to telling a computer programmer he can't use while loops?

Re:No Rythym whatsoever?

[Lockejaw]

I wouldn't go that far, but I kinda wonder what happens if these guys happen to write some open-source code that happens to get incorporated into a rhythm game. Have they broken the prohibition by writing code that goes into a rhythm game?

Sad, but not that sad.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have met John Tam back when RedOctane was marketing In The Groove and about to reveal Guitar Hero at E3. He put the kibosh on certain press groups that he felt didn't kiss his ass enough. Michael Nguyen was a great guy to work with, but when he tried to do some stuff with the website I worked with, who had been long-time partners of ours, John Tam stepped in and shut everything down in favor of trying to get in with the big gaming publications like GameSpot and 1Up. In the end we did some great promotions with RedOctane and probably contibuted significantly to the success of the first Guitar Hero. Early next year, Michael Nguyen abruptly left the company and RO quit talking to us altogether.

They definitely have forgotten their roots. I have very little pity for John Tam.

Re:Sounds like a standard Non-Compete ... ?

[SatanicPuppy]

I worked at place that tried to make me sign a non-compete, but the wording was so vague that it would have prevented me from doing an unrelated sideline that I was already doing, so they took it back to re-word it, and it conveniently vanished into the shuffle of paperwork.

Years later, when I left the company after a falling out with the management, and set up shop in the same town, they tried to sue me without making sure they had the paperwork.

It was sweet.