"Well, it looks like this publisher and I are destined for the courts,
regardless of my best efforts to avert this.
Yesterday, in HYPERLINK
"http://dreamcatchergames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14319"
\nthis thread, it came to my attention that HYPERLINK
"http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/235868.asp" \nEB had the price of UC
set at $19.99. So I decided to do some checking and found this to be the
case. So I checked HYPERLINK
"http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=645338" \nGameStop as
well. Same thing. Though HYPERLINK
"http://www.gogamer.com/cgi-bin/GoGamer.storefront/401945b6022a1318273fd
0fedee2067d/Product/View/001UNI" \nGogamer and a few others had the
previous pricing. I just noticed today that HYPERLINK
"http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000A345M/qid=1065857402
/sr=-1/ref=sr__1_etk-vg/104-9931229-3708736?v=glance&s=videogames&n=4686
42" \nAmazon have also revised the pricing from what it was yesterday.
When I checked with DC, I was informed that this was the price they had
set, due to pressure from those retailers. So I did some more checking
and found this to be - yet another lie coming from this publisher.
Naturally, I have objected because when we signed this game, the price
of BCM Gold (released in March this year) was set at $29.99 and BCG (now
UC) at $39.99.
As you all know, I recently prevented them from shipping the game in
Beta and because they insisted on shipping the game - any version - my
attorneys talked me into giving them a version to ship. Had I not done
that, they would naturally have shipped the RC1 build, which was the
topic of the controversy in this thread.
I have no idea when they changed the price of the game but they never
informed me. Which they should have. When Lisa checked last week
(someone had sent email asking where to buy the game), the prices were
as they appeared on Amazon, GoGamer etc etc. So, it looks like they
waited until they got the 1.00.01 build from me, then made this their
next ridiculous move in an attempt to seemingly tarnish the value of my
IP and indeed prevent us from making money on two years of our work and
a ton of money spent (by me). I suspect they did this because in a
recent contract amendment, they would no longer have access to any
future properties from us, most especially not the UC sequel that we
have started work on (and which they know about) for another interested
publisher.
Because of how the deal is structured and given how we are paid, we
stand zero chance of making ANY money on this game, let alone turn a
profit for our efforts. And with that, we certainly won't have the money
to allocate resources to its support. Which means, this particular UC
game - unless this matter is resolved prior to the game going to retail
- will be the one and only version released. No patches. No tweaks.
Nothing. In other words, its Take Two all over again - except that in
the case of this game, it actually works.
We [3000AD] fully intend to litigate this because this is just
ridiculous.
Below is a very short list of things this publisher has done to us since
we signed the deal with them in Dec. 2002.
1. Never made milestone payments on time. Perhaps one or two, thats
it.
2. Asked me to prepare a version of the game for E3, then asked me
to attend. I went. The game wasn't even being shown. But rather, other
games, including Painkiller etc, were on display. There is a discussion
about that farce here on the board. When I got there, I protested and
they setup a machine for the game etc. Naturally, you've all seen the
positive E3 feedback as a result.
3. Asked me - while in late Beta - to refocus and rebrand the game.
After extensive discussions related to my initial refusal, I agreed. We
weren't paid for the additional work that was done - which incidentally
contributed to the delay in getting the game out for Christmas. Which in
turn, sparked the whole RC1 release farce.
4. Once it was clear - and they had been advised - that the game
would not be ready to ship for Christmas, they attempted to ship the RC1
build, which had known problems and a copy protection scheme that only I
could disable. You all know conclusion of this, as I fought tooth and
nail and spent a considerable amount of money in attorney fees in order
to stiffle that action.
After they had gone back/forth with my attorneys an agreement was
reached in which I would submit to them my current build of the game. I
did so and during that time, they had me fix several issues
(multiplayer) before signing off on it as being ready. That version
being HYPERLINK "http://www.3000ad.com/downloads/uc/ucvcf.html"
\n1.00.01
I then produced a Gold Master and sent to them. That was also signed off
on and was HYPERLINK
"http://www.3000ad.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000262"
\nsent off to manufacturing - I'm told - earlier this week.
5. Then there is the ongoing dispute about royalty and licensee
reporting on BCM Gold - which they promised to rectify and still
haven't. In fact, it was because of this that the trust level started
taking a nose dive a few months back. I can't go into contractual detail
unless and until legal action has been taken by us.
6. Now we have this issue where they have unilaterally reduced (by
half!!) the price of our game to budget level pricing, guaranteeing that
we don't make any money on our work. Yet, they would expect us to
support it.
This is just crazy. I simply can't imagine what they're thinking or what
sort of response they would get from me.
If I wanted to release a budget title, I certainly won't have needed a
publisher for that, since I had already self-published BCM back in 2001.
And I certainly would not have signed with Dreamcatcher, when I could
have released a budget title through larger players (e.g. Activision
Value) etc.
[ 01-29-2004, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]
--------------------
President, 3000AD Inc.
Designer/Lead Developer
The Battlecruiser Series"
Somehow this guy always gets involved in firefights with his publishers
LOL! And we always end up hearing just his side of the story. Maybe he'd
do better releasing for Consoles ^_^
I've no idea how this publishing thing works, but it seems that the
development team is putting out more than it is costing Dreamcatcher to
publish their game. So even at a 20US pricepoint, Dreamcatcher makes
money. But the developers don't. That sounds like a messed up contract
to me lol! How can you have a contract where the Publisher can
unilaterally lower the selling price of your product?
-Gel
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