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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.
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
Scratch offers Numark-controlled Guitar Hero for hip-hop heads
Are the blatant rockist tendencies of Guitar Hero and Rock Band ruining your enjoyment of those otherwise brilliant titles? Of course they are -- we noted your b-boy flava from two blocks away. But don't sweat it because Genius Products, 7 Studios and Quincy Jones III have your niche in their sights and will happily sell you Scratch: The Ultimate DJ when it hits the stores sometime in Spring 2009. With a game controller designed by Numark (known worldwide for its DJ controllers -- there's an example for you after the break), the game will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and feature tracks by "many" (as yet unnamed) hip-hop artists. Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products promises all and sundry "a cutting-edge game that captures the vital energy of hip-hop culture." And here we thought they were cynically jumping on the Guitar Hero bandwagon! We stand corrected.
'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%
Numark's TTi turntable transfers vinyl to iPod sans a PC
Sure, there's a smorgasbord of products out there designed to transfer your precious vinyl recordings to a slightly more modern format, but few pack the cool factor that comes bundled in gratis with Numark's TTi. This newfangled turntable not only brings back not-so-fond memories of your second high school prom, but it also boasts an integrated iPod dock, USB interface, a metal platter and pitch control to boot. Besides ripping records directly to your 'Pod, the unit also features a line-level output and comes with versions of EZ Vinyl Converter software for the PC or Mac should you prefer vinyl-to-computer ripping. We know, it's tough to leave the 70s, but the TTi should make the transition somewhat less painstaking when it lands in Q2 for $449. One more angle's waiting after the break.
Numark's iDJ2 mixes two tracks from one iPod
When you're tearing it up at the local club, sending droves of sweating dancers into a primal frenzy with your cannon-like beats and thunderous sub-bass, the last thing you want to do is be squinting at two tiny iPod screens for track info. Luckily, the folks over at Numark have heard your cries for help and have answered with the iDJ2 -- a follow-up to the company's iDJ that improves upon the earlier model by utilizing a single iPod to mix two streams of music, and can display track information on a full-color screen in the center of the device. The new system also accepts input from other media via USB, and allows you to organize and cue songs through its on-screen Crate feature. The mixer allows mixing and scratching of MP3, WAV, and unprotected AAC files, can control pitch to plus 25 and minus 100 percent, automatically sets tempo, can visually track through songs, and accepts external keyboard input. Available this September with a list price of $799, and street price of $599.[Via Playlist]
