Anybody following this Jeff Minter story?

[JBC]

Super drama

Looks like Atari is trying to shut down Jeff Minter's TxK from being released on all the modern consoles & asking him to pull it from Vita. Sucks, I really like his games. Especially Tempest 2000.

In listing Atari's accusations through Twitter

(That) I deliberately set out to cash in on Atari's stellar reputation by associating my game with their illustrious name. (I never mentioned Atari at all as the last thing I really wanted was for Llamasoft to be associated with the undead Atari responsible for turning Star Raiders into a fucking slot machine).

[Ed Oscuro]

wow ugh

He should rustle the bushes of online counsel - folks like the EFF might be interested.

I'd hope this would fail but that might be a pyrrhic victory. I'm not sure if the fact that there is some case law means that a claim would be therefore in bad faith. One would hope...

All that said, if I made a work-for-hire art asset for Company X, and then I went on my own and continued to use that same asset, I'd expect to lose. It's time to switch things up a bit. TxK is named with the intent that it be thought of as a modern Tempest - that's pretty much inescapable and if Atari is trying to protect their brand there, I wouldn't expect it.

If their intention is to prevent him from doing anything vaguely Tempest-like, I would hope that portion doesn't succeed.

[cave hermit]

I actually expressed some concern about how the game was basically a Tempest clone back when the game launched and a thread here opened about it, but I'm still siding completely with Minter on this one.

I really hate it when companies act like this, refusing to make any real use of their aging IPs, but then going on the offense against anybody else who does (think that streets of rage fan game, assorted chrono trigger fangames/remakes, etc.)

It's like when a little kid gets bored of a toy, but he suddenly yells "NO THAT'S MINE, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" when another kid tries to play with it.

[Ed Oscuro]

Because that's what legal counsel do. There is a doctrine that says that if you don't show use of an IP, you lose it eventually. I know that Streets of Rage is still being sold online places (or was very recently) and Chrono probably is a similar deal. Beyond that, copyright is really absurdly long so that closes off some of the really obvious pastiches/homages/whatever.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I really hate it when companies act like this, refusing to make any real use of their aging IPs, but then going on the offense against anybody else who does (think that streets of rage fan game, assorted chrono trigger fangames/remakes, etc.)

Were the Chrono Trigger fangames ever a thing beyond some screenshots?
The SoR fangame is out there for everybody to play, complete. What real harm is done here?

[Shepardus]

Atari responded, nothing surprising was said.

[brentsg]

I particularly enjoy all the "Atari" references (in quotes).

It sucks though b/c they have no interest in the IP unless someone else does, and even then it doesn't sound like they'll entertain a licensing agreement. If you haven't read it, they tried to shake him down when the Vita version was new, but he was able to prove that it wasn't lucrative and they seemingly went away.

[Pretas]

I bet the only reason Space Giraffe didn't meet this same fate is because Microsoft was behind it. The game even mentions "Tempest" in the tutorial.

[system11]

I hate it when people buy rights to companies I liked and then act like dicks with the IP.

So the moral of the story is - add Atari to the list of companies you don't buy anything from.

[ACSeraph]

So the moral of the story is - add Atari to the list of companies you don't buy anything from.

They ended up on that list a long long time ago. When was the last time they even put out a remotely relevant game?

[Pretas]

They ended up on that list a long long time ago. When was the last time they even put out a remotely relevant game?

Ikaruga GC?

[ACSeraph]

They ended up on that list a long long time ago. When was the last time they even put out a remotely relevant game?

Ikaruga GC?

So a decade basically.

[cave hermit]

I wouldn't even count Ikaruga, given that all Atari did was publish it in the west.

When was the last time Atari actually developed a good game internally?

[ACSeraph]

When was the last time Atari actually developed a good game internally?

PS2 Defender was truly the future of shmups!

[Shepardus]

When was the last time Atari actually developed a good game internally?

Considering that the current "Atari" barely has any connection to the original Atari beyond name, probably never.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Were Infogrames ever good?

[Obscura]

They ended up on that list a long long time ago. When was the last time they even put out a remotely relevant game?

Ikaruga GC?

So a decade basically.

Didn't they also publish the NWN 2 games? The OC wasn't great, but both expansions were excellent.

[Stormwatch]

Were Infogrames ever good?

Their Australian studio, now-defunct Melbourne House, made the fantastic Test Drive Le Mans for the Dreamcast.

[Ed Oscuro]

Were Infogrames ever good?

Mission Impossible N64, oh yeah

I agree with system11 here, neo-Atari don't get my money now (well, they might possibly publish something good digitally?)

[Blackbird]

They ended up on that list a long long time ago. When was the last time they even put out a remotely relevant game?

Tempest 2000, back when they were actually Atari =P.

For those of you that don't know, "Atari" in this case is actually Infogrames, who purchased the Atari's IP when they went under, but really has no relation to the former company. I'll call them neo-Atari from here.

Here's where it gets really dumb: neo-Atari, an unrelated company, is accusing Jeff Minter of stealing the IP because he had "little to do" with the development of Tempest 2000. They are trying to make it out like Jeff was only responsible for a bit part in the game's creation process. How delusional could you be! It is an indisputable fact that he designed and programmed the game!

Imagine if Id Software went under today and someone tried to sue John Carmack for making a Doom-like. Eh, that Carmack guy didn't really have anything to do with Doom, it's our software now!

It's not like neo-Atari would even make a Tempest game if they win this suit. It's completely selfish and basically amounts to burning Atari's classic franchise to the ground because they can't have it.

[qmish]

Tempest 2000, back when they were actually Atari =P.

And that's Jeff Minter again. Surprise!

[Mortificator]

Imagine if Id Software went under today and someone tried to sue John Carmack for making a Doom-like. Eh, that Carmack guy didn't really have anything to do with Doom, it's our software now!

Dave Theurer created Tempest, though. Jeff Minter is the Tempest guy in the same way that Koji Igarashi is the Castlevania guy.

[BIL]

Were Infogrames ever good?

Mission Impossible N64, oh yeah

I vaguely recall that Dreamcast Le Mans game Not Blowing Dick. It's been a while though. >_>

[qmish]

I vaguely recall that Dreamcast Le Mans game Not Blowing Dick. It's been a while though. >_>

Because it was developed by Melbourne House who were very talented programmers.

p.s.

Dammit, i always hated when people talked about publishers like it's them who made games. I mean, how dare u mention Ikaruga with Atari, lol

[szycag]

Shame, since this one seems really playable.

[cave hermit]

TxK is great fun, which makes it all the more shameful that the demonically possessed corpse of Atari is trying to destroy it in a blind rage.

Hopefully Sony can pull some strings to keep it from being pulled?

[Pretas]

Dammit, i always hated when people talked about publishers like it's them who made games. I mean, how dare u mention Ikaruga with Atari, lol

We're not idiots, we all know that Treasure developed Ikaruga. I was being sarcastic.

[BIL]

I thought you were being serious rofl, pubs need loves too! Localising Ikaruga was a nice gesture for non-importers. Even purveyors of Japan-only stuff like EA/Garegga and TWI/Taromaru deserve credit for getting that stuff onto shelves.

[gameoverDude]

I bet the only reason Space Giraffe didn't meet this same fate is because Microsoft was behind it. The game even mentions "Tempest" in the tutorial.

Well, wasn't Sony behind TxK similarly? They could probably stand in Yak's corner and tell Fauxtari to shove it.

I hadn't been thinking about the Playstation (Vita) TV yet but now I sure am. At least for now it looks like that or nothing if you want TxK on the big screen. Damn.

EDIT: Snapped up a PSTV and a 64GB Vita memory card.

[DEL]

Why can't they respect the guy?