In the United States, such as France, legal proceedings against people are public, so it is important to consult a federal court record that a person has access to information for the first time in two years. Paranoia: Happiness is a must. On October 22, 2021, Bigben Interactive (the company that owns the video game publisher Nacon) and its development studio Cyanide, filed a lawsuit in U.S. courts against the paper game creators. Paranoia, Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan, on the grounds that they were removed from the sale shortly after their release. If we do not read the details of the complaint, we have received the latest report from the two defendants, which in particular sheds light on the relationship between the creators of the license and the French publication.
On September 6, 2016, Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan, copyright holders, signed an agreement to adapt their role-playing game with French studio Cyanide. Although it was due to be released later this year, Cyanide commissioned the development of the Irish Black Shamrock studio in the summer of 2017, before buying Bigben Interactive, which took over the contract on its own. After being postponed for the first time in April 2017, the game’s release is scheduled for the end of 2019, December 10 finally. If the distribution is planned in accordance with the terms of the contract for all PC distribution sites, Bigben has requested the August 2019 contract for Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan special distribution contract at Epic Games Store, dated October 3, 2019. The problem: this is the first time first of all the two rights providers are aware of the release date of the game, where they have, according to their contract, the title control, which can only be published in their agreement. The two creators therefore refused to approve the publication of a press release on the upcoming release of the game, and according to them, Bigben broke the contract for the first time by leaving this entire press release the same.
Both received only the September 10, 2019 version of the game, which they had to evaluate on a contract basis to boost their contract prior to commercial release. Instead of the six weeks mentioned in the deal, they only need two weeks to formally reject the type of game, which many believe. insects that, in their view, would damage the image of the brand Paranoia. However Bigben would like at this time to continue publishing the title as it is, postponing the release scheduled for October 14, 2019. After he again refused to publish a press release on the new release date However, Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan have refused to market the new version of the game. insects minors and adults combined. If they are open to the suggestion that they continue to operate the game without breaking their contract, they are opposed to the immediate release of this endless game.
Counting the problems Gautoz encountered: “nesting search bugs, texts that start late or ask, many balanced problems after half the game, treatment rooms can not be used because the heroes prefer to attack when we ‘click’
However, Bigben Interactive would have continued to release the game anonymously and without the consent of the rights holders so as not to exceed the December 10, 2019 deadline given to the contract. A total of $ 21,704 was even given to Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan, who wanted to replicate the publication, considering that no money had been paid. When they saw that the game was ready for sale, they wrote a letter to Bigben asking him to leave. Paranoia: Happiness is a must After several objections from the Epic Games Store, they finally contacted Epic directly for a DMCA request, explaining that publishing the game without agreement was against the publication agreement and therefore infringed on their intellectual property rights. license. Three days later, on January 24, 2020, Epic removed the game from sale while still having an exclusion. It has never appeared anywhere since.
Not to be outdone Bigben Interactive and Cyanide, but only Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan’s version of the facts, we do not know what caused or the amount of compensation for their hatred of French companies attacking licensed creators. However it is easy to assume that it is the translation of the contract that is in question, and that the damage to the publisher and developers is so great, the game was for sale only a month and a half and then Epic signed it. special contract for the amount “several million dollars”. Maybe the publisher was forced to repay Epic a fraction of the advanced amount, and perhaps call for a noticeable decline in the short-term sales of the game? For their part, the two creators of the license are claiming breach of contract and $ 150,000 in damages for their damages.
The situation will not stop there anyway, Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan are ready to go to court in this case, which in many ways is reminiscent of what we told you a year ago between Frogwares and, already, Bigben Interactive. Again, the French publication was accused of not respecting its contract, and distribution rights as well as Epic’s involvement were already at the heart of the matter.
- Also Read | Nacon-Frogwares: resolving a hidden conflict that has become an open battle – Part One
- Also Read | Nacon-Frogwares: resolving a hidden conflict that has become an open battle – Part Two
