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SouthPeak claims creditors used press to 'paint a negative picture' of the company
Throughout 2009 and 2010, SouthPeak's legal struggles made headlines. From the sweeping claims of unpaid work following the buyout of Gamecock Media Group to the lawsuits brought on by various companies that had done business with SouthPeak, a less than favorable image of the Texas-based game publisher had been created. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, SouthPeak chairman Terry Phillips defended his company, claiming creditors "used the press to try to put pressure on us; to try to squeeze a better deal out of us; to try to paint a negative picture of us." "You read a lot of it and you just think we've had a terrible year on the legal side," Terry Phillips added, "but we've not had one single substantive judgment against us whatsoever this year." He cited a French court's ruling in favor of SouthPeak over developer Nobilis, which granted the publisher "all rights on future [My Baby] games." Needless to say, SouthPeak is hoping for a sunnier 2011, as it expands the availability of Two Worlds 2, continues growing the My Baby family, and works with Nvidia to bring Tegra 2-powered games to Android devices.
SouthPeak says CDV dispute is resolved, wasn't cheap
SouthPeak Games CEO Melanie Mroz told investors this week that the ongoing legal argument between her company and distributor CDV has been resolved, and while full terms of the agreement weren't released, SouthPeak attributes a solid chunk of its $5.8 million in losses to the legal issues. Mroz says "the litigation costs of $3.2 and 3 million" that the company had to pay "were mainly related to CDV." Next up, the company wants to "put these matters behind us and continue to focus on our business and future growth," but not without My Baby. SouthPeak is still embroiled in the fight over that title with Nobilis and Majesco. Chairman Terry Phillips says that SouthPeak feels the My Baby title "is our series, so we're still hoping that that can happen."
SouthPeak suing Majesco over My Baby 3
Joystiq has confirmed with SouthPeak Games that the company has taken legal action against Mama game publisher Majesco Entertainment, specifically regarding the right to publish My Baby titles in the United States. The litigation was spurred by an announcement last month that Majesco would be publishing the Nobilis-developed My Baby 3 & Friends, an action SouthPeak claims Majesco wasn't legally allowed to take. For its part, SouthPeak issued this statement on the impending litigation: "We are exceptionally proud of our success in making the My Baby franchise a leader in the North American market; our innovative sales, marketing and PR strategies brought My Baby to a huge audience and built a loyal fan base for future products. SouthPeak continues to hold the rights to subsequent My Baby games and we intend to vigorously protect those rights." Additionally, we've confirmed that, while SouthPeak claims a contractual right to publish "subsequent My Baby games" in the US, Nobilis owns the My Baby IP. So, whose baby is it? That remains to be contested (Majesco and Nobilis reps hadn't responded as of publishing). And while SouthPeak recently acquired a $10 million loan, as well as another $5.5 million injection announced just this week, the company's still running into financial and legal issues left and right. "It's no secret that CDV is currently in dispute with SouthPeak Games along with many other companies, whilst CDV is itself in administration," SouthPeak exec Jonathan Hales told IndustryGamers recently, responding to the seizing of 40,000 units of SouthPeak stock by bailiffs on behalf of CDV. "We have sent High Court Enforcement Officers in last Friday and they took 40,00 units -- two trucks worth of stock -- out of the warehouse that SouthPeak uses. They had until yesterday to apply to court to stop that being sold at auction and as far as I'm aware they didn't make an application. We've also frozen the money from their distributor Centresoft," reps from CDV said. It looks like the custodianship of My Baby is just one of many legal battles SouthPeak may be facing in the coming months.
CDV vs SouthPeak legal battle gets much, much more complicated
When SouthPeak Games was ordered by a UK court to pay its distribution partner CDV a settlement earlier this year, rather than simply pay the settlement and move on, SouthPeak instead took a very interesting approach: buy up a company that's owed money by CDV and turn the tables. SouthPeak recently purchased the less-than-well-known dev studio IRP and filed a claim against CDV to the tune of €4.4 million ($6 million), money that CDV allegedly owes SouthPeak now that the legally embroiled publisher owns IRP, according to a Gamasutra report. But that's not all! CDV already filed for insolvency earlier this week, claiming it did so because SouthPeak "failed to pay a court-ordered settlement to CDV" -- the same court-ordered settlement that we mentioned in the first sentence of this very post. Still with us? Good! A statement released by CDV says that the company will remain "fully operational," and its various subsidiaries are unaffected by the insolvency filing. A Frankfurt, Germany court is said to be helping CDV sort through the financial back and forth. "The Administrator together with the management team is now proactively working on solutions to restructure the company and discussions with investors and potential purchasers are on-going." Given SouthPeak's rocky past with legal matters, we get the feeling this won't be the last we hear of this mess.
UK court rules in favor of CDV against SouthPeak again
The avalanche of bad days keeps rolling at the SouthPeak offices as today the UK High Court has once again sided against the publisher in its longstanding legal battle against distributor CDV. In the most recent decision, the court ruled in favor of CDV that SouthPeak was liable for inducing copyright infringement. In 2009, the same high court ruled that Gamecock, a SouthPeak subsidiary, had failed to submit four titles early enough for the 2008 holiday season, costing the publisher to the tune of about $3.1 million. In the current legal battle, German distributor CDV claimed SouthPeak had induced copyright infringement and breach of contract and legal costs. While the new ruling favors the distributor's claims of infringement and legal costs, the court did not find SouthPeak in breach of its contract with CDV. SouthPeak also faces claims from other former partner companies. In a statement to the court, the preceding judge said she had noted that CDV was able to prove SouthPeak US "has both participated in, and authorized, the infringing activities in relation to the making, distribution, and sale." According to GamesIndustry.biz, SouthPeak's recently reported loss of $2.6 million for its second financial quarter ending on December 31, 2009, can (in part) be attributed to the UK high court's previous ruling.
Divinity 2 demo available on PC and Xbox 360
If you're a fan of fantasy RPGs and yet, somehow, are not completely sated by the gigantic Dragon Age: Origins, why not take Divinity 2: Ego Draconis for a spin? It's got Dragon in the title, sort of. A demo for the Divine Divinity sequel is now available on Xbox Live everywhere, with the exception of Japan. This is your chance to decide whether or not to shell out early for fancy armor! If you'd prefer to begin rising through the ranks of the Dragon Knights on your PC, you can do that as well! Our friends at Big Download have just the 1.77GB file you're looking for. Shortcut: Add the Divinity II Demo to your 360 download queue
GameStop offers pre-order bonus for Divinity 2: Ego Draconis
Sadly, pre-ordering a copy of Divinity II: Ego Draconis from GameStop won't net you any divinity. Or any dragons, for that matter. What you do get for putting your money down on a copy of the Xbox 360 sequel to Divine Divinity is some exclusive in-game armor and armaments, representing the Blood Echelon, "a select lodge of elite Dragon Slayers who have earned the highest of distinctions on the battlefield." Both online and in-store pre-orderers will be entitled to look like they're in the Blood Echelon when they freely roam around Divinity II's landscapes, reading minds. But only if they buy the Xbox version: the PC release does not list any bonus items. Divinity II will be available December 29.
New Serious Sam HD trailer is anything but serious
If you were to ask us to what sort of modes we expected to see in Serious Sam HD, "Super Happy Fun Time Mode" wouldn't even be on the list. Much like the first time you heard the bewildered Mortal Kombat announcer utter the word "Friendship," the video above is likely to fill you with unexpected glee. Don't be surprised if you emit giggles, chuckles or maybe even a guffaw or two. Of course, we still have to wait and see if Serious Sam's punishing gameplay has withstood the test of time. For now, just enjoy the video.
Sacred 2 developer goes bankrupt
Though it's finally been dated, dungeon crawler Sacred 2 has been plagued by delays. Today comes a reminder that getting it right often comes with a price. Developer Ascaron Entertainment confirmed to Gamespot that the company has declared bankruptcy in Germany after a four-year development period on the game.The news isn't all bad: The move isn't expected to effect the game's release and and the company has met with "several well-known interested parties to discuss a positive takeover." Here's hoping the final damage is as minimal as possible.
Sacred 2 hacking, slashing its way to May 12 release
Publisher CDV has announced that Sacred 2 will release on May 12 for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For those who haven't been following the title (already available on PC), it's a traditional fantasy dungeon crawler that's big on grinding and extensive stat management. You know, elves, mages, mounts, spells, that kind of thing. The game also features online co-op for up to four players, which is definitely welcome. Until Blizzard decides to announce a console version of Diablo III, we suppose it will have to do.Sacred 2 will be available in both vanilla and Collector's Edition varieties.
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel pushed into Q2 2009
Fat loot aficionados won't be happy to hear that the console debut of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has been pushed into Q2 2009. Originally, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game were slated to release alongside the PC version, but delays forced developer Ascaron to focus on one platform. Sure, we're upset that our plundering and level grinding will be put on hold, but considering the bumps in the road Sacred 2 hit when it released on PC last November, we wouldn't mind a few extra months of development. What bumps, you ask? Things like game crashes, flip-book style framerates and wacky collision detection that sent players hurling through terrain, into the empty world below. Small stuff, really.
Sacred 2 hits North America Feb 17, 2009, Atari distributes
After the annoucement that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has been delayed into 2009, Atari has announced a multi-year distribution deal with cdv, the European publisher of the game. Atari will bring Sacred 2 to the North American market, along with future titles from the publisher. Sacred 2 will be hitting North American soil on February 17, 2009. So, for everyone out there awaiting a decent multiplayer dungeon crawl, mark your calendars, and try not to get confused by the new Atari logo on the box. Everyone else, move along.
New Sacred 2 trailer shows off 4 player co-op
It's been a while since we last heard about Sacred 2, but now that the Games Convention is underway in Leipzig, it's the perfect time for German developer Ascaron to roll out a brand new trailer. Lest you've missed our previous coverage of the game, Sacred 2 is a dungeon crawling RPG in the vein of Baldur's Gate and Diablo. Oh, and it's real purdy too. The trailer is a bit schizophrenic, what with the crazy fast motion and the like, but sharp-eyed observers will see detailed environments and characters, including a female warrior that appears to be wearing high heels. The trailer also promises over 500 quests and open world to explore. Oh, and genre fans should take note: four player co-op. Sacred 2 will be hitting the Xbox 360 this November.
This is what loving geeks looks like
Who doesn't love geeks, really? But do you love them enough to play a game about building Rube Goldberg machines in order to defeat bullies and impress the ladies? Well then, you should check out the upcoming DS title I Love Geeks. You might be wondering what a game filled with Rube Goldberg puzzles even looks like (we were). Well, we're answering that question for you right here, right now, with some gallery screens to check out.To a history major like this blogger, I Love Geeks looks a bit daunting in its concepts. Hopefully our love for geeks will be enough to overcome any challenges the game has to throw at us. Who knew that geeks could be so intimidating?%Gallery-27588%
Geeks love The Incredible Machine
Oddly enough, Midway's Mechanic Master won't be the only Incredible Machine knockoff coming to the American DS. I Love Geeks is a localized version of Clever DS, the Rube Goldberg-building game based on the German TV show of the same name. The American version, published by CDV, will have a new story from ... Marc Ecko and his team? When we think "geek," we definitely think of hip-hop-influenced fashion designer Marc Ecko.Geeks has some storyline about assisting four scientists to solve puzzles while also dealing with high school bullies or something, but basically it's 100 puzzles requiring machines built out of specific parts to solve various simple problems. Awesome!
Dungeon crawler goodness: New Sacred 2 footage
Okay, so maybe we're not getting a 360 version of Diablo 3 (or maybe we are), but that doesn't mean we can't get our dungeon crawling fix. Of course, there is Too Human coming in August. Too Human is sci-fi though. What about strict fantasy fans? For them, we have Sacred 2. In development for quite some time now -- we first saw it at GDC 07 -- Sacred 2 looks to give fans of dungeon crawling something to smile about. We were impressed with the game when we saw it at this year's GDC, and these videos are looking even better. While the amount of gameplay seen in these two videos is pretty small, what's there looks very pretty. Oh, and did we mention that Sacred 2 will have 4-player online co-op? Yeah, well it will.
All the news on Panzer Tactics DS
With Panzer Tactics set to roll onto the DS this winter Nintendo site Cubed3 decided they needed the early details on the down and dirty. They sat down with CDV's Mario Kroll to get all the details on the historical strategy title, and Kroll had nothing but praise for Nintendo's handheld.Most of the interview is given over to the push for historical accuracy. They originally wanted to include more than 350 units, but considering that some of the finer details are impossible to discern on the DS screen, and with system limitations, they cut the initial number down to about 150 unique units for the final game. They also discussed in depth how the development team worked to offer multiple solutions for dealing with those who cut and run rather than just taking a loss, and how the online component will function. For strategy fans, this is shaping up to be a must-have title.
New Panzer Tactics screens
Because it's not a war unless zee Germans are involved, CDV's WWII strategy game Panzer Tactics needs to get some love around here. With the success of Advance Wars on the DS, this is sure to find a niche, particularly because of the multiplayer features.Tank battle! Four new screens up at GameSpot to add to their already sizeable collection.
