 | 3D Realms vs. Gearbox lawsuit settled Sep 13th 2013, 22:08 Lawsuit concerning reportedly unpaid Duke Nukem Forever royalties comes to a close, as suit is dismissed with prejudice. 
The 3D Realms vs. Gearbox Software lawsuit concerning reportedly unpaid royalties for Duke Nukem Forever has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning it will not be revisited, it was confirmed today. "After reviewing evidence regarding our business affairs, and without any money exchanging hands, we have satisfactorily resolved any and all differences that we perceived against Gearbox," 3D Realms cofounder and CEO Scott Miller said in a statement. "In all sincerity, we regret the misunderstanding that instigated our lawsuit," Miller added. "Now that we better understand--and appreciate--the actual nature of our business matters, we have voluntarily withdrawn our claims against Gearbox, with genuine apologies to [Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford] for any damage that our lawsuit may have caused to the relationship." 3D Realms filed a breach of contract suit against Gearbox Software in June, claiming the studio failed to pay more than $2 million in royalties and advances related to Duke Nukem Forever. The lawsuit stems from the 2010 agreement between the two parties that saw the Duke Nukem IP officially shifted to Gearbox Software. In addition, 3D Realms claimed that Gearbox Software blocked an independent audit of royalties earned on Duke Nukem Forever, a point the 2010 agreement should have kept them from doing. Gearbox Software issued a defiant statement at the time, calling out Miller as someone who has had "more lawsuits than shipped games." 3D Realms exists today in name only, after being effectively closed in 2009. The studio's legal name is now Apogee Software. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Naughty Dog says gender/minority debate will push industry forward Sep 13th 2013, 21:51 Neil Druckmann says storytelling techniques are advancing and industry is "on the cusp" of seeing games with "strong, non-sexualized" female protagonists being successful. 
Discussions about gender and minority visibility in games will help push the industry forward, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog creative director and writer Neil Druckmann believes. Speaking with GamesIndustry International, Druckmann said he had been "blown away" by the kinds of stories independent games like Gone Home and Papers, Please have told. He said storytelling techniques overall are advancing, at least in the independent space. "As more and more examples come to light, I think more people are pursuing better narratives," Druckmann said. "And I hope criticism of games and game narratives is becoming more sophisticated. I think before you would have had a hard time talking about tropes and how women are represented in games, or how characters of color are represented in games. But now I'm kind of excited by the discussion and the kind of criticism games are getting." "I think that change is going to happen much more rapidly going forward, and people who don't engage in that discussion, who don't try to appeal to audiences that are coming on, are going to be left behind," he added. Given the cost and nature of AAA game development, such change in storytelling may not show up immediately, Druckmann said. However, he said he remains hopeful that the tide can be turned. "I feel like AAA games… we're on this cusp of at the very least seeing strong, non-sexualized female protagonists starring in games," Druckmann said. "You're going to see a lot more of those, and a lot more that are commercially successful." "A lot of times in AAA games, people feel like they need to play it safe because there's so many parts of a giant corporation working on a global scale to launch a title that they don't want to take too many risks," he added. "But once you have enough evidence to say 'Hey look, this is actually not a risk, this can succeed commercially,' then creativity can flourish and new avenues can be pushed." Naughty Dog's most recent game was The Last of Us, which was released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in June. The developer is currently working on an undisclosed PlayStation 4 title. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Criterion staff reduced to 16 people Sep 13th 2013, 21:41 Creative director at Burnout series studio says most staff shifted to work on Need for Speed: Rivals at new label Ghost Games UK. 
Burnout series developer Criterion Games has been reduced to a headcount of 16 people, creative director Alex Ward revealed on Twitter today. Most of the studio's former 60-65 staff have formed a new label called Ghost Games UK within Criterion to work on Need for Speed: Rivals, Ward said. Ghost Games proper in Gothenburg, Sweden is leading development on that game. Through a number of tweets today (via Videogamer), Ward said Criterion Games is now a "small team." Criterion Games, based in Guildford, UK, have no announced projects, and shipped Need for Speed: Most Wanted last year. Asked on Twitter if Criterion Games now feels vulnerable, Ward said, "Not at all. We are backed by a huge and successful wider company, Electronic Arts." In April, Ward revealed that Criterion Games would be moving away from racing games, saying "after over a decade of making racing games, it's time to make something new." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | GTAV PSN preload goes live Sunday in Europe, Monday in US Sep 13th 2013, 18:41 [UPDATE] Gamers in Europe can preload upcoming open-world game through PlayStation Network starting at 3 p.m. BST on September 15, while United States players can start loading at 3 a.m. EDT on September 16. 
[UPDATE 3] The official Rockstar Games Twitter channel now says that gamers in Europe can preload GTAV through the PSN starting at 3 p.m. BST on Sunday, September 15. Players in the United States can preload the game beginning at 3 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 16. [UPDATE 2] The official PlayStation Europe Twitter account clarified this afternoon that users in that region will be able to preload GTAV beginning at 3 p.m. GMT on Sunday, September 15. [UPDATE] A Rockstar Games representative told Joystiq that anyone who preordered GTAV through the PlayStation Network in the United States will not be able to preload the game at all. "It's not our call," the representative noted. The original story is below. Sony Europe has confirmed that digital preorders of Grand Theft Auto V will begin preloading on September 16. The company had previously promised that customers would be able to start preloading the game on September 13 if they purchased through the PlayStation Store, meaning that users will now get one day to download the full game as opposed to four. "I will try to find out why the date has changed but its confirmed that the predownload will be on the 16th," said a Sony representative on the company's forums. Many posters on Sony's EU forum have expressed frustration at the delay, believing they have lost the advantage in purchasing the digital copy to begin with. "We are already paying £15 more than a physical version from Amazon so I think Sony should offer some kind of compensation to their loyal customers or make extra special effort to get the pre-load out there by the end of today!" wrote forum user alexfifa98. Last month Sony publicly apologised to GTA V developer Rockstar, after some European users managed to download the game's files and post some assets online. "Regrettably, some people who downloaded the digital pre-order of Grand Theft Auto V through the PlayStation Store in Europe were able to access certain GTA V assets. These assets were posted online," said Sony social media manager Sid Shuman in a statement. Grand Theft Auto V will be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 worldwide on September 17. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Uncertainty good for the industry, says Xbox One dev Sep 13th 2013, 18:31 Capybara Games president Nathan Vella says lack of certainty in the industry right now requires developers to think creatively. 
The uncertainty the industry faces right now is not something to fear, but should be seen as something that will push the business forward, according to Super T.I.M.E. Force and Below developer Capybara Games president Nathan Vella. Speaking with GameSpot, Vella said these current challenges--which include the uncertainty surrounding the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, if Steam will continue to be a market leader, and free-to-play vs. paid business models--forces creators to think more outside of the box. "It's this really odd dichotomy or strange mix of more opportunity than ever and more uncertainty than ever," Vella said when asked about his perception of the state of the industry. "I don't mind the uncertainty at all. In fact, I think the second that we get comfortable, the second that everybody's like 'OK, cool. This is how the industry is' it's going to cause more problems than if we don't know what it is," he added. "The lack of certainty right now I think really elicits or requires people to think about things creatively and take some f**king weird risks. Make some stupid calls, and those stupid calls could end up being the most successful things out there." Uncertainty is not a new feeling for Vella. "Since we started the studio eight years ago, I've never really felt comfortable," he said. Despite his feelings of unrest, Vella said that the potential for independent developers like Capybara Games to be financially viable is greater than it ever has been. Capybara Games' Super T.I.M.E. Force will be released on Xbox 360 this year "for sure," while Below is scheduled to launch on Xbox One in 2014. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Fable Anniversary not coming to Xbox One Sep 13th 2013, 18:28 After delay into 2014, Lionhead Studios says it has no plans to bring high-definition update to next-generation console. 
Lionhead Studios has no plans to release Fable Anniversary on the Xbox One even though it will now be released in 2014 instead of this fall, producer Craig Oman said today on Twitter. "There are no plans to bring Fable Anniversary to Xbox One," he said, pointing out that Fable Legends will be released on the next-generation console. Lionhead Studios today announced a delay for Fable Anniversary, pushing the high-definition update of the original Fable to February 2014. Fable Anniversary includes the 2004 original role-playing game and its Lost Chapters expansion and will not come to PC. The game will have an entirely new lighting system, powered by the Unreal engine, as well as all-new character models, textures, materials, and new facial and cutscene animations. It will also feature widescreen support and remastered audio for surround sound setups. All content found in Fable and its Lost Chapters expansion will be included in Fable Anniversary, though Lionhead says no additional quests or content will be added to the new version. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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