7-studios
Latest
Heroic sacrifices: The companies behind Guitar Hero
The Guitar Hero series touched many people, and not just by strapping plastic guitars to them. As the series reached its absurd heights of success, it caused more game developers to enter into the service of note charts and extreme rocker-dude 3D models. And now that Activision has stopped production on the Guitar Hero series and closed that business unit, we can look back at how it affected the people who made it -- the companies who either moved on or were chewed up and spat out by the Guitar Hero monster.
7 Studios shut down, part of Activision music game cutback, staff report
7 Studios, part of Activision's music game division, has been shut down, according to staff posting on Twitter. Following Activision's announcement yesterday that its Guitar Hero business unit would be disbanded and no new music games would be released this year, 7 Studios producer Damon Conn tweeted, "Directly affected me. Our music games division really took a hit today." "Activision is shutting down the Guitar Hero business as of today. This includes my studio," another 7 Studios staff member named Alex confirmed last night on Twitter, "Anyone know of any open associate producer jobs?" (This appears to be the Twitter account of 7 Studios' Alex Beckers, who has updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect the end of his employment at the studio. [Update: Beckers has confirmed his Twitter identity.]) "Lame day, but [I'm] optimistic about the future [and] wish the best to all my current/former colleagues," added 7 Studios creative director Dan Lehrich on his Twitter account. "Good luck to all, let me know if I can help." Lehrich later exchanged tweets with Beckers in a heartfelt goodbye. 7 Studios was acquired by Activision in early 2009, an action that launched a still-ongoing series of lawsuits with publisher Genius Products, which had contracted 7 Studios to create Scratch: The Ultimate DJ (pictured) before Activision stepped in and scooped up the studio (halting Scratch's development). In October 2009, Activision reportedly reduced 7 Studios' staff by half, leaving the developer with approximately 30 employees (LinkedIn currently lists 36). 7 Studios was assumed to be the DJ Hero "B-team," supporting Freestyle Games as needed, including work on DJ Hero 2. "I can't tell you what they're doing, but they're doing some cool stuff," Activision exec Dave Stohl told us last July. "They have supported FreeStyle a little bit, but they're doing something new and different." According to Lehrich's LinkedIn page, 7 Studios was involved in the creation of the Guitar Hero VIP Pass DLC hub, in addition to "Unannounced Projects" for iOS and "Various Prototypes/Concepts" for a number of platforms. Both Conn and Beckers additionally list involvement in last year's Space Camp. Update: A source close to the situation, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells us that approximately half of 7 Studios' staff members were immediately laid off and will receive sixty days worth of severance pay. The remaining staff are apparently directly involved with the aforementioned lawsuits, which are reported to go to trial next month. Allegedly, these staff will be paid for the next 120 days, which is expected to cover the time it takes to resolve the legal dispute with Genius Products. The source additionally confirmed that 7 Studios had been working on a few music-related iOS games.
Activision studios head brings development strategy into focus
"It doesn't make sense anymore," Activision executive VP of worldwide studios Dave Stohl declared to us in a small office, hidden away from the noisy E3 show floor. "You've really got to focus." The executive, who oversees every development studio that Activision owns, was reflecting on the old business model that encouraged studios to take on multiple projects at once. Today, the industry's leading third-party publisher has a new mantra: one game per studio. "People want the freedom to put all their resources against the big opportunity, and that's what we're trying to do," Stohl explained during our conversation at last month's show. We wondered if the shift in strategy was less ingenuity and more a sign of the times. Last year's holiday season was headlined by two major events: the slowdown of music game sales and the ridiculous success of Modern Warfare 2.
Report: Activision reduces 7 Studios by half
"7" is not an easily divided number. Nevertheless, Kotaku reports that Activision has cut its 7 Studios by half, laying off an estimated 30 staffers from the development outfit. The remainder of the one-time developer of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ (turned defendant-cum-plaintiff) will be put to work on future music games. "As a part of this realignment, the studio is reducing its workforce to better reflect Activision's upcoming slate of music-based games," an Activision representative told Kotaku. We've contacted 7 Studios for comment on the reported workforce reduction. Stay tuned.
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ drama continues as 7 Studios countersues
The tangled web of developers, publishers and the various lawsuits between them, has just gotten that much more complex as 7 Studios countersues Scratch: The Ultimate DJ publishers Genius Products. According to court documents obtained by The Cut Scene blog, 7 Studios is asking for $1 million in damages, allegedly attributed to a variety of "unlawful and unsavory business practices." Among them, 7 Studios alleges Genius Products repeatedly delayed production of the game, didn't deliver various assets on time (music, that is), considered creating a Nintendo Wii version of the game (then subsequently canceled it), and when things didn't work out, tried to cut and run. In so many words, 7 Studios is accusing Genius of asking them to create a game without adequate support and then, when the game was nearly finished, trying to shop it out to other publishers. We've reached out to all parties involved (repeatedly) and, like the Cut Scene blog, heard nothing back. We'll update this post accordingly if we hear anything, but at this point, we're suggesting that you don't hold your breath. [Image]
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ granted restraining order
In the ongoing court battle between Scratch: The Ultimate DJ co-publishers Genius Products and Numark vs. DJ Hero publisher Activision, the first of many legal battles has been detailed. According to a press release sent out by Genius Products, the Los Angeles Superior Court has granted the Scratch developers a temporary restraining order and told Activision-owned 7 Studios to return all source code. Additionally, 7 Studios is being court-ordered to return "pre-existing developer tools and technology" used in the game's 18-month development cycle, presumably including the "nine custom-manufactured turntable and beat-button game controllers" claimed by Numark as being held hostage by 7 Studios and, in turn, Activision. Outside of returning all the equipment used in the development of Scratch, 7 Studios' CEO, Lewis Peterson, has been effectively banned from any involvement with the game and the former Scratch team has been ordered not to speak about its development. This news clashes directly with allegations put forth by Activision last week, positing that the Los Angeles Superior Court had denied said restraining order. We've put in a request for comment to Activision and will update this post as we find out more.
The sordid history of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ
In the pending lawsuit between DJ Hero publisher Activision and Scratch: The Ultimate DJ co-publishers Genius Products and Numark, all we've heard are each sides' allegations and condemnations of the other. What we haven't heard, however, was the long and messy tale leading up to the current state of things between former Scratch developer 7 Studios (now owned by Activision), Genius Products and, apparently, Brash Entertainment. Yes -- that Brash Entertainment.According to The Cut Scene, Scratch began development in 2007, allegedly by 7 Studios and Brash Entertainment. In summer of the same year, Brash decided to focus on licensed properties and sold off the IP to Genius Products. The piece further alleges that by late last year, Genius Products was having financial problems and was not so much being courted by major publishers (including MTV, EA, Ubisoft and, yes, Activision) as it was trying to sell off a seemingly toxic asset. If The Cut Scene's anonymous sources are to be believed, there's a lot more going on here than it would seem.
Activision responds to Scratch lawsuit, court denies restraining order
Moving into day three of Breakin' (the law) 2: Electric Boogaloo, Activision has fired back at Scratch: The Ultimate DJ LLC (Numark and Genius Products' joint business venture). It says allegations made in the lawsuit "are disingenuous and lack any merit," and backs up that statement with the Los Angeles Superior Court's decision not to grant a restraining order against the mega-publisher. Furthermore, Activision claims that Genius Products is scapegoating the publisher, explicitly stating, "These allegations are nothing more than an attempt by Genius [Products] to place blame for the game's delays, as well as to divert attention from the cash flow, liquidity and revenue challenges Genius detailed in its Mar. 30 SEC filing." The press release makes no mention of the "nine custom-manufactured turntable and beat-button game controllers" allegedly belonging to Numark nor the current state of development of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, presumably still being held by Activision-owned 7 Studios. It does, however, tell us that the lawsuit will have "no effect" on the development of Activision's own DJ-based rhythm game, DJ Hero. We've asked Activision for its official side of the story and will update this post accordingly as news develops.Update: Activision has responded to our request for comment with, "Unfortunately, we do not have anything more to comment outside of the statement we put out."
Activision: The Ultimate Lawsuit -- day two
Day two of news regarding the Scratch: The Ultimate DJ LLC vs. Activision lawsuit has arrived, and with it a comprehensive analysis of the "full 30-page complaint" by way of Gamasutra. Before we launch into that though, we first put this question to you, dearest readers: What the heck do we call this thing? Scratch-gate? Court Scratch Fever? Breakin' (the law) 2: Electric Boogaloo? You tell us!Aside from the litany of information we already know, the piece paints an interesting tale of tortuous interference on the side of DJ Hero publisher Activision ostensibly strong-arming Scratch: The Ultimate DJ developer Genius Products (and its partner, Numark) into releasing its game later than Activision's. Furthermore, the suit alleges that 7 Studios, former contracted developer of Scratch for Genius Products (and recently purchased by Activision), is still withholding "nine custom-manufactured turntable and beat-button game controllers" belonging to Numark.To help break down the analysis with significantly more expertise and clarity, we contacted LGJ columnist Mark Methenitis, who had this to say:"If you thought Silicon Knights vs. Epic had the potential to get ugly, imagine the stakes when the next major branch of the music game genre hangs in the balance. Taking Genius's claims at face value, Activision is basically trying to bully them out of the market so that Activision's own DJ Hero can become the top billing DJ-based music game. This is similar to the claim that Silicon Knights made, where they alleged Epic was neglecting the Unreal Engine 3 licensees to benefit Gears of War. The major difference here is when Activision couldn't buy the game, it bought the developer to control the game's development and attempt to force the hand of Genius. This gets into tortuous interference with the existing development agreement, the basic gist of which is that as a third party, you're not allowed to interfere with someone else's contract. Of course, there's likely another side to this story, which I'm sure Activision will present in its answer to Genius's claims."
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ developer sues Activision
In a David and Goliath story for the ages, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ LLC (a partnership between Genius Products and Numark formed to develop and publish the game of the same name) have revealed a mountain of details regarding a lawsuit against mega-publisher Activision. The lawsuit alleges Activision and 7 Studios -- contract developer for Genius Products -- have intentionally "conspired to withhold the current version of Scratch in an effort to delay the development and release" of the game. Scratch: The Ultimate DJ LLC is seeking the immediate return of its game as well as "other injunctive relief."Trevor Drinkwater, president of Genius Products, is quoted as saying, "We believe that Activision and 7 Studios have improperly used confidential information obtained from Genius and 7 Studios to interfere with our efforts to complete the game. In short, we believe that Activision is attempting to sabotage the release of our much anticipated game and prevent it from getting to market prior to the release of DJ Hero." Fighting words indeed! Interestingly, the details revealed this evening also outline Activision's attempt to "acquire" Scratch: The Ultimate DJ from Genius Products, who apparently rebuffed the attempt. Allegedly, Activision then proceeded to purchase 7 Studios and "conspired to prevent Scratch from getting to market on a timely basis" through a variety of means, including withholding "work product, code, and the proprietary game controller." We've still heard nothing from Activision regarding this lawsuit and due to the late arrival of this information, likely won't hear a response from the publisher until tomorrow at the earliest. We can, however, assure you this won't be the last time we hear about this.
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ: The First Trailer
MTV Multiplayer recently got its hands on the first-ever trailer for the upcoming 7 Studios/Mix Master Mike supercollider project, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. The video contains a little bit of everything -- some gameplay footage (multicolored buttons on a track), some of the featured contributing musicians (Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys and Kanye West) and a few of the characters with which you'll be spinning vinyl (horrendously disfigured urban stereotypes). You can check it out after the break, but only if you live in the US. MTV's embeddable video player absolutely hates foreigners.
Kanye, Run DMC and Beastie Boys headline Scratch: The Ultimate DJ
Dust off your oversized headphones and brush up on your DJ skills, because Genius Products and 7 Studios just announced that Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will release with a library of over sixty songs.The complete list of tracks has yet to be revealed, but songs from Kanye West, Beastie Boys and Run DMC are already set to appear on our digital turntables during Q2 2009, on both PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms. Maybe with a more mainstream catalog of music, Scratch can carve out a space in the DJ market. "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West "Let's Get it Started" by The Black Eyed Peas "Slacker" by Tech N9ne "Don't Sweat the Technique" by Eric B. and Rakim Other Songs From: Run DMC, The Gorillaz, Nelly and Deltron 3030
Brash stops paying devs, gets sued
Remember when we found out that Brash Entertainment had stopped paying developers -- you know, a week before the publisher completely folded? Yeah, well, two of those developers have finally come a-knockin'. 7 Studios and Zootfly have both sued Brash in efforts to win back some of the money they're owed. 7 Studios' bill stands at $468,000 for work on 9, an adaptation of an upcoming Tim Burton flick, and $113,000 for Six Flags Fun Park, which 7 Studios CEO Lewis Peterson calls "the best game Brash had produced." Additionally, Zootfly claims it's owed a whopping $748,000 for a Prison Break game.Meanwhile, in other Brash news, former president Nicholas Longano has popped up as the new co-founder of Music Mogul, a pending virtual world for aspiring musicians. Good to see inane execs are still getting work these days![Image credit: Night Star Romanus]
'Scratch: The Ultimate DJ' announced, Numark & QD3 on board
7 Studios today made a move toward being the first studio to renew the turntable-based rhythm game, announcing partnerships with DJ equipment manufacturer Numark and hip-hop producer Quincy Jones III, along with Genius Products and Genco Interactive. Dubbed, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, the game will be played using a turntable controller, the "Scratch Deck," designed by Numark, which promises to "allow players to re-imagine songs on the fly and add their own creativity" (no word on an MC counterpart -- or b-boy, for that matter). 7 Studios joins Activision and presumably any other company with half a brain (you listening, Konami?) as it vies for precious mindshare of the next potential gaming phenomenon.Scratch is scheduled for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next spring and features "distinctive urban environments" and "original recordings from the catalogs of many top urban artists." Are we sensing a theme here?%Gallery-33928%
DS Fanboy Review: Napoleon Dynamite
Director Jared Hess has a 100% rate of movies turned into DS games. His latest film, Nacho Libre, was released in June of 2006; a DS game followed in October. Despite the fact that the movie featured the very video-game-friendly subject of wrestling, the game was not a major success, critically or financially.Nacho Libre the movie was preceded by Napoleon Dynamite, which was about the very non-video-game-friendly subject of awkward people standing around. Now, three years after the release of the movie, Napoleon Dynamite is joining Nacho Libre on the Nintendo DS. It is something of a victory for developer 7 Studios that the Napoleon Dynamite DS game works as a game at all, despite the handicap of being based on a movie with no action of any kind. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's a great game. In fact, Napoleon Dynamite is the very definition of a middle-of-the-road game. It isn't completely awful, and it isn't good. It doesn't inspire disgust and it doesn't impress. It's just kind of there.%Gallery-8037%
