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Former Gizmondo exec Stefan Eriksson gets 1.5 year sentence, movie might now have ending
Will this be the final chapter in the infamous and incredibly entertaining tale of former Gizmondo head Bo Stefan "Fiery Ferrari Crasher" Eriksson? Doubtful, but with any luck it'll serve as a decent thread to wrap up that optioned movie on his life. An Uppsala, Sweden District Court has sentenced the man to 1.5 years in prison for his most recent round of escapades, which include illegal threats, attempted blackmail, and robbery. Assuming he starts jail fairly soon, mark your calendars and place your bets, we're expecting a whole new slew of comical misdeeds to hit the news feeds by March 2011 -- and no, we still don't think a new Gizmondo will be out by then. [Thanks, piraya]
Ferrari splitting ex-Gizmondo exec Stefan Eriksson's tale optioned for a movie
At last, former Gizmondo head honcho Bo Stefan Eriksson's story is finally going to be told on film -- or rather, the one told in Wired will be. Writer-director Craig Zobel and producer Beau Flynn have optioned the rights to create a movie based on the publication's October 2006 article "Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-up" by Randall Sullivan, which chronicles the build up to his infamous car crash. Flynn's production company Contrafilm will be backing the project, and should the movie actually make it to theaters and be successful, we suspect there'll be plenty of material for a sequel. [Via Gizmodo] Read - Film optioned Read - Original Wired article
Former Gizmondo chief Stefan Eriksson lands back in jail, in Sweden
While there's been no shortage of fresh Gizmondo rumors over the past year or so, we haven't heard much of anything about former bigwig Stefan Eriksson, who's known as much for a little car crash as he is for the company he helped bring into infamy. That looks to have changed in a big way this week, however, as Herr Eriksson has now landed back in jail in Sweden, where he's facing a whole slew of new, very serious charges, including extortion, aggravated assault, grand theft, embezzlement, and a firearms violation. No word on a new trial date or anything just yet, but it looks like Eriksson won't be resting easy anytime soon, as a district judge has granted a request to keep him in jail pending an investigation.[Thanks, JC]
Gizmondo to rise again in 2008?
Oh cruel, cruel word... is it true? A teaser site for Gizmondo just appeared in the fetid bowels of the Internets boasting that the "legend is reborn." A cruel hoax or has Stefan Eriksson, freshly sprung from the clink, really teamed up with former accomplice Carl Freer in a bid to resurrect Gizmondo as the Swedish press claims? If true, the service is set for a Christmas 2008 launch with the promise of a "Gizmondo Live Marketplace" presumably chock-full of open source games running on a supposed $100 device. Will it really "democratize gaming?" Hardly. No worries though, we'll be too busy checking out the "exciting psychic worlds" to notice.Update: Ha, Gizmondo spared no expense with the teaser -- it's all yours for just $66 bucks over at TemplateMonster.[Thanks, Olof and Jon R.]Read -- [Warning: Swedish]Read -- Teaser site
Stefan Eriksson released from jail, awaiting expulsion
Just as expected, the former Gizmondo Europe director is free at last -- well, almost. Barely a year after Stefan Eriksson was sentenced to "three years" in the slammer, he's now been let loose from behind bars and is currently "awaiting expulsion." Purportedly, everything was nearly in place to ship him back to Europe prior to Christmas, but apparently, the Swedish consulate has taken its sweet time in preparing a new passport. What's still unclear, however, is whether the Ferrari Swede will be flown back to Sweden or Germany, but if all goes to plan, we'll be liveblogging the whole ordeal as soon as that news breaks (we jest, we jest).
Gizmondo at CES?
Industry shows are interesting beasts to witness. Frequently, we get clues about the future of gaming simply by looking at who decides to show up. There is one big surprise listing at the 2007 CES. According to the CES website, "It's all fun and games for AMD, Apex Digital, ATI, Dell, Logitech, Nvidia, Alienware, Microsoft, Sony and Gizmondo." This is a fairly odd sentiment given the company is now bankrupt and isn't making games anymore. Maybe the CES doesn't pay much attention to the news (or found it near-impossible to decipher) or Gizmondo pre-paid over a year ago and gets an empty booth. Gizmondo doesn't seem to be dying a graceful death. Stories like the Bo Stefan Eriksson story keep cropping up. Maybe the empty booth at the 2007 CES will be the dénouement of this pathetic riches-to-rags story; or maybe a huge surprise with the return of Gizmondo. [Thanks, Falafelkid]
Eriksson case ends in mistrial; jurors likely bribed with Gizmondos
In yet another sign that maybe this whole "trial by jury" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be, jurors in the grand theft auto case against former Gizmondo Europe director and current jailbird Bo Stefan Eriksson were unable to come to a unanimous decision regarding his guilt or, ahem, innocence, resulting in a mistrial. Although ten members of the Los Angeles panel felt that Eriksson did indeed steal a Ferrari and a Mercedes imported from England, two of the jurors apparently bought the defense's rather lame excuse that the one-time mobster only stopped making payments because his sham of a company finally disintegrated. Luckily for fans of justice and fast cars, prosecutors have already stated that they are planning to retry Eriksson for the same crimes, not to mention the weapons charges that the slippery Swede still has hanging over his head. At this point it's not clear why those two jurors chose to remain so steadfast in their convictions, although it's somewhat telling that they were spotted skipping around the courthouse halls after the trial was over, clutching unsold Gizmondos in one hand and hundreds of shares of nearly worthless Xero Mobile stock in the other.[Via BoingBoing]
Gizmondo Halo "project" used cam-mouselook
Back before "Fast" Stefan Eriksson was crashing cars and lying to police, he ran a little portable gaming company called Gizmondo. Their scam? Defraud investors by promising them a way into the very attractive, and lucrative, gaming market. One of their most effective tools was to promise a Gizmondo-exclusive portable Halo title. Gizmondo did have an arrangement with Microsoft Game Studios to produce some titles, including the popular MechAssault series, but Halo was definitely not a part of that arrangement. A former-Gizmondo employee told GameSetWatch that the title had only "a storyline and basic game structure at the very earliest stage of concept" and that it was all done "with a wink and a nudge to extract more cash out of the investors." Isn't that sweet?It isn't all bad though: the engineers at Gizmondo managed to get code running -- using one of id's open-source game engines -- enabling the Gizmondo's rear-mounted camera to control the "mouselook", allowing for a uniquely precise handheld FPS control scheme. Who knows what could have come of the Gizmondo if the execs weren't busy lining their pockets?[Via /.]
The speed of the Ferrari that split in half?
Slate's Daniel Engber explains how it is we know that shady Gizmondo chieftain Stefan Ericksson's grand theft auto'd Ferrari Enzo was going precisely 162mph at the time of impact, ripping the car into two pieces. It would be difficult to condense the variables that go into this determination, but here goes: Inventory where the pieces ended up (like the gun ... or Dietrich?) Factor in the "coefficient of friction" of the surface Apply some rudimentary physics ? Voilá! Investigators also use the level of damage from the impact and, using data compiled by manufacturers and insurance companies (who else?), they can extrapolate the car's speed. Oh yeah, and there's a black box whose information isn't always reliable or applicable, so investigators usually use a combination of all three techniques to triangulate a correct answer. In this case: 162mph. Question is, how much--in Gizmondos--does an investigation like this cost taxpayers? Twenty Gizmondos ... fifty?
Ex-Gizmondo exec's bail set at $7.5M, considered flight risk
Last week, former Gizmondo executive officer Stefan Eriksson was jailed and held without bail. According to Deputy DA Tamara Hall, bail has now been set at $7.5 million. In other words, Eriksson ain't goin' nowhere. A judge has scheduled a bail review hearing for April 24.Eriksson has pleaded 'not guilty' to charges of embezzlement, grand theft, and possession of a gun by a felon. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison. Eriksson also continues to dispute two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving associated with the now infamous Ferrari crash.
Stefan Eriksson charged with multiple counts
Guess whose favorite scandal-ridden carousing ex-gangster party animal Los Angelean Swede just got charged with felony counts of embezzlement, grand theft auto, driving under the influence, and illegal possession of a firearm by felon? You got it, Stefan Eriksson. who supposedly faces 14 years in prison, if found guilty. What, you didn't think someone this shady was going to go about his business forever more without further question after that fateful evening last February, did you? Oh, and FYI, the handsome, mysterious Dietrich -- the man accused by Eriksson of driving the $1m Enzo into the pole at 160mph -- continues to evade capture, despite prosecuters' claims he does not exist. We have just received word, however, that he was spotted late last week attempting to cross the Canadian border in a Groucho Marx disguise and Ferrari PowerWheels.[Thanks, Alex B]Update: Apparentl Eriksson pleaded not guilty and was held on $5.5m bail. Yo, dudes at Xero Mobile, you wanna help a brother out? Thanks, Freddy.
Ex-Gizmondo exec arrested, faces grand theft charges
Former Gizmondo executive officer Stefan Eriksson has been arrested on grand theft charges and is being held without bail. Authorities allege that Eriksson doesn't own the Ferrari that was totaled in February and two other exotic cars, including the Mercedes that was confiscated last month and a second Ferrari that has also been seized. Eriksson has been charged for failing to make payments on the three vehicles, worth a combined $3.5 million, which were imported from the UK. Immigration authorities are also investigating Eriksson's visa status. In addition, Eriksson could face additional charges related to the February crash. While Eriksson maintains he was not the driver, authorities continue to investigate the incident since evidence points to Eriksson driving the vehicle while intoxicated. Eriksson is also being investigated for fraud, as it appears he purchased the exotic cars in question as part of a failed business venture. British banks claim that Eriksson purchased the cars by using loans. He made a minimum first payment, promising to resell the cars at a higher price and pay back the loans. According to the banks, Eriksson has not made any additional payments. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Gizmondo chief finally arrested for being too shady
We shamelessly ripped this headline verbatim from the subject of reader Dave M's tip, because, well, it's just so perfect, isn't it? Specifically, former Tiger Telematics Europe executive and drunk driving enthusiast Stefan Eriksson was arrested at his Bel-Air residence on Saturday, booked on suspicion of grand theft, and is currently enjoying decidedly less-luxurious surroundings, as the Sheriff's Department is wisely holding the slippery Swede without bail. It's not immediately clear whether the theft charge is related to Eriksson's destruction of that million dollar Ferrari Enzo in February (pictured in cake, above), but since we'd already heard that a Scottish bank may be the rightful owners of the mangled supercar, we wouldn't be surprised if the former videogame exec is guilty of playing a little real life GTA along with his favorite DUI. Meanwhile, Eriksson's imaginary friend and supposed co-conspirator, "Dietrich," remains at large.[Thanks, Dave M]
Gizmondo exec's life continues to spiral into infamy
Former Gizmondo executive officer Stefan Eriksson has lost his second exotic car, a $400,000 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Last month, Eriksson's $1 million Ferrari Enzo was totaled in a shady crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. This past Sunday, Beverly Hills police confiscated his Mercedes after the driver, Eriksson's wife, was discovered to be operating the vehicle without a license. In addition, police determined that the car was not registered in the US and, upon contacting Scotland Yard, confirmed that it could be stolen — an unidentified financial institution claims ownership of the Mercedes.Spyder Dobrofsky, a 13-year-old car enthusiast, captured the entirety of Sunday's incident on video.[Thanks, SickNic]
The Gizmondo Saga: Oh, what a tangled web...
Been trying to follow the Gizmondo Ferrari story but can't seem to keep the facts straight? Well we don't personally see how a simple little story about an illegally imported excusive Italian sportscar, a video game exec for handheld has been Gizmondo, the Swedish Uppsala mafia, Homeland Security, a mysterious ammunition clip, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and a transportation service for old people run out of an auto repair shop is the least bit confusing at all, but some of you apparently required some visual aids. Enter Game Revolution's fun-for-all-ages flow chart, the piece de resistance of their extensive Gizmondo coverage aptly called "Gizmondo Bizarro." It's only a matter of time before they turn this into a made-for-TV movie featuring Eric Roberts as Stefan Ericksson in what will be heralded as "a gripping performance." They'll call it Crash and Burn: The Real Life Story of the Gizmondo Saga.See also:Gizmondo exec's Ferrari, before and afterFormer Gizmondo exec. involved in Ferrari Enzo crash[Thanks, duke]
