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Gen Con Files For Chapter 11
Heartless Gamer writes to tell us that Gen Con LLC announced late last week that they have filed for Chapter 11. This move will not affect the still profitable Gen Con Indy event which will still happen August 14-17, 2008. "This action became necessary as a result of significant unforeseen expenses associated with attempts to expand its core business to encompass externally licensed events. [...] The protections afforded by Chapter 11 will allow Gen Con to further its efforts to address its liquidity needs, preserve value for its creditors and explore strategic alternatives for the business." Evan writes to add that this is the result of LucasFilm suing GenCon.
Just FYI, this filing is a direct result of Lucasfilm suing Gen Con for a lot of deception regarding "Celebration IV" that occurred last year.
As taken from this story on TheForce.net, here is a summation of the charges:
1. Gen Con failed to uphold its legal obligations in terms of financial reporting, accounting and payments to Lucasfilm ($500,000 in damages)
2. Gen Con did not give auction proceeds to Make-A-Wish as they had agreed to do ($150,000 in damages)
3. Gen Con did not give Lucasfilm their share of the auction proceeds ($150,000 in damages)
4. Gen Con did this all unjustly ($150,000 in damages)"
I guess Gen Con failed the saving throw.
"Even for Slashdot, that was a very obscure reference!" - Anonymous Coward
that this might, JUST might, get them to move GenCon back to Milwaukee where it belongs?
I mean, seriously - they bitched and moaned about "not enough hotel space" being the prime factor when by moving it just one weekend later they WOULDN'T HAVE TO COMPETE FOR HOTEL SPACE WITH FUCKING WISCONSIN STATE FAIR.
Then the very next year at GenCon Indy - "not enough space in the dealers' room, we're growing out of all the hotel space we can find in Indy..." bah.
Move it back to Milwaukee where it belongs. I miss taking my buddies to The Safehouse.
I'm making a note here... HUGE SUCCESS!
Silly troll. Gen Con is one of the oldest, biggest, and most prestigious gaming conventions in the world. You know, Dungeon's and Dragons? Video games? Oh, why do I even bother, you're just being insulting to get a rise out of people. Even if it was a furry/anime/cosplay thing, why do you care? No one is rubbing your face in it, making you watch. Do you hate America? You know, land of the free? Do you hate that people are free to do what they want? Would you like to tell everyone what they can and can't do? Why are you even on this site? Go back to freep or AOL or the foxnews forums or whatever dung-heap you crawled out of, Slashdot is not the place for the likes of you.
There, you got a rise out of me, are you happy now?
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
If what LucasFilm says of GenCon, then they need to be crushed. Stealing money from dying children? It would be very difficult to do something more scummy.
-- Will program for bandwidth
Well how do you know all convention organizers are thieves and liars? Do you know them? Just because some conventions are questionably run doesn't mean all of them are. Every aspect of PAX isn't personally run by Gabe & Tycho, but they still call the shots. So if there was anything shady going on they would, and have, excise it immediately.
Really? Do you know the people who run GenCon?
GenCon is owned by Peter Adkison, the creator of Magic and former CEO of Wizards of the Coast. He's a gamer through and through and one of the most approachable guys on the planet of his stature. Peter made plenty off of WoTC's sale to Hasbro to do whatever he wanted - GenCon wasn't lining his pockets by any stretch of the imagination. This is the same man who responded to my unsolicited emails for help starting a gaming company. He answered any question I had, connected me with his personal contacts, and in return - just suggested that I pay it forward. I don't know anything about GenCon's legal issues, but I suspect neither do you.
I don't know the depth of their dealings. But unless you do, perhaps you should refrain from making generalizations. God forbid you ever achieve such a level of success and find people throwing stones at you. Reserving judgement isn't nearly as sensational, but it's often warranted.
The Milwaukee GenCons were a thing of legend. It blew my mind when they were moving it. If I were a spiteful person, I might be happy about this news. But I'd rather they just come back home. Where they belong.
Oh man, my finger slipped. You know, the apostrophe, it's so close to the... ah... Look over there! It's Bigfoot!
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I thought Richard Garfield created magic.
Gen Con LLC: You will not find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Peter Adkison owns GenCon.
Hasbro owns Dungeons & Dragons.
Hasbro bought Peter Adkison out of Wizards of the Coast (who owned D&D) over half a decade ago.
There are plenty of small non-profit conventions that aren't.
That's because it takes too long to level a Paladin.
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
while representine GenCon
"maybe the kids wanted to be robbed....maybe that was their wish..."
no idea why that image popped into my mind.
Heh. You know, I've never been to one of those things? I love sci fi, fantasy, and gaming, but I wouldn't go to a convention. I can't stand fanatics of any stripe, and I don't like (all male) circle jerks.
You do get that I was making fun at tjstork's expense, right? Slashdot is not only for people who love America. I wasn't saying that at all. I respect other's opinions, IF that opinion is worthy of respect. I respect people's right to have and share an opinion, too, but if my opinion of their opinion is that their opinion sucks donkey balls, I'm going to share that too. And tjstork's opinion amounted to, "haha, what a bunch of dorks."
I love America, the concept. I'm pretty fond of the country. The people I can take or leave, and the government can go stuff itself in the wrong end of a sheep.
As for Gen Con, if the allegations are true, yeah, they screwed up. But back in the day, it wasn't just the most prestigious, it was the only gaming convention. You know, when it was in Gary Gygax's living room, and a few years after that.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Why? GenCon has had ten months to uphold their part of a deal which included donating proceeds to charity. If they haven't done so by now, then I'd say that legal action was the appropriate course for Lucasfilm to take.
Just because I might like going to GenCon doesn't change that.
Why? Well, for starters i don't believe in IP rights.
Er... what?
Lucasfilms shouldn't sue GenCon LLC for allegedly not turning over money specifically raised for certain causes at auction because you don't believe in IP rights?
Hell, $150k of it was supposedly auction money for MakeAWish.
"I'm sorry, little boy with terminal cancer. You don't get your wish because I don't believe in IP rights!" That's cold, dude. Also completely nonsensical. Someone got the auction money. If it was raised in a charity's name, it should have gone to the charity. That's nothing to do with IP.
Peter did a whole lot more than just market Magic. If Garfield had something shrink wrapped and ready to go, he wouldn't have come to Wizards of the Coast in the first place.
That's why it's called a *partnership*. Flame all you want, but both sides need each other, and it's juvenile to suppose that anyone who can bring a product to fruition is some sort of soul-less marketing droid. What a miserable, woe is me attitude that is.
ummm... for what? For tuning over their property to Gen Con to be auctioned off (with a big chunk going to charity)
This part of the lawsuit is pretty cut and dried. LucasFilms gives Gen Con LLC property, property is auctioned for $$, $$'s are not distributed as agreed before auction.