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Deep Silver planning a Prison Break
Don't let that headline confuse you -- though some of UK-based developer Deep Silver's earlier work is truly criminal (namely, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life), it isn't thinking of clever ways to terminate its incarceration. Rather, it's publishing a ZootFly-developed video game adaptation of the television show Prison Break, which -- well, which sounds pretty familiar. Perhaps it's because Brash Entertainment optioned the rights to make such a game shortly before its untimely extremely timely demise.According to a recent press release, the game's story will run parallel to the first season of the show. Players will be placed in the shoes of Tom Paxton, member of the shadowy "Company," who is sent to investigate the events leading to the arrest of the TV series' protagonist, Michael Scofield. Sounds a bit complicated to us. We'll hold out for the video game adaptation of the much more straightforward Prison Prison Break.
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.
Alleged screens and video from Factor 5's canned Superman game
Some footage and screens from Factor 5's Superman project have managed to make their way online, courtesy of Unseen64. While we would've liked to have seen some actual gameplay, sadly the only items on offer are a brief CG trailer (past the break) and some screens. We'd offer our opinion on it all one way or the other, but all of this media seems to be from really early in the game's development -- who knows which way the title was headed?Well, in the opposite direction of Superman 64 would have been nice.%Gallery-47397%[Via IGN]
Variety: Konami wants to play a game, picks up Saw rights
Variety's sources are claiming that Konami has picked up the rights from Lionsgate to publish games based on the Saw movies. The publisher allegedly nabbed the rights following the closure of previous rights owner Brash Entertainment. Licensed game aficionados -- there have to be some of you out there -- will be thrilled to learn that Konami plans to release its first Saw title in time for the release of the next film, which is ... let's see ... Saw VI. The game will be developed by Zombie Studios, best known for its work on Super Bubble Pop America's Army.Apparently, Lionsgate had considered developing the game internally -- which would have been the first time the company had attempted game development -- but eventually decided to license the property to an experienced publisher instead. Probably a good idea. The game will reportedly be available on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.
Factor 5 dev blogs about canceled title, later deletes post
Nearly every company in the video game industry has taken a hit during this economic fiasco -- though we've seen a few cases where the full brunt of the recession has come down on certain developers and publishers. Factor 5, creator of the wildly criticized Lair, appeared to be the latest company to suffer under the credit crunch -- one of its employees, Sam Baker (who blogs under the moniker MISTASAM), recently posted about "financial issues" which kept his fellow developers from receiving payment and health care benefits, and ultimately led the company to "stop production" on a project he'd been working on for eight months.However, this post (cached version), as well as every other post on Baker's blog, disappeared quickly after its publication, and was replaced by a brief correction. In this follow-up post, Baker explains that the closure of Brash Entertainment, whom Factor 5 was working with on what was rumored to be a new Superman title, had caused the economic distress. Baker adds that whatever game Factor 5 was developing for Brash is still alive and well (and was never "in trouble"), and that the rest of the studio's projects are "doing great".This second post is confusing and somewhat contradictive, to say the least. While the erasure of Baker's entire blog certainly gives off an air of impropriety, we can't be certain of what exactly is going on at Factor 5. With the inital post mentioning employee layoffs, we certainly hope the cheery exposition of the second post proves accurate -- not just because of our concern for our fellow man, but because we really want a new Rogue Squadron game.
Brash goes out with a fascinating bang
OK, clear the next half hour or so of your day, because you simply have to read Ben Fritz' stunning piece on the downfall of Brash (oh, you remember, it was the game studio that aimed to change the image of terrible licensed games by making horrible licensed games). For example, did you know Brash created its sales projections on Space Chimps assuming it was made by Fox animation (the house behind mega-hit Ice Age) when in fact, Fox was only releasing the film? It's true!You owe it to yourself to see all the games Brash had in development, where its cash went, its "Wall Street" MMO and, of course, the Mickey Mouse story. With Brash officially dead, this is pure rubbernecking at the scene of the crash ... but that's not honestly going to stop you, is it?
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]
Factor 5 speaks out on 'Superman' game
Last week's closure of Brash Entertainment left a number of unanswered questions lingering, and as thrilled as we are that Saw is still set to get its game on, we're more curious to find out if Superman survived the publisher's swift implosion. The Man of Steel was allegedly the subject of a deal between Brash and Factor 5 earlier this year, and MTV Multiplayer recently caught up with the Lair developer's president, Julian Eggebrecht, to find out more.While the exec admitted that Factor 5 is working on "several" multi-platform and Wii-specific titles, he stopped just short of admitting that the studio is developing a game based on Superman. "One of our large-scale multi-platform projects was started with Brash because it is a dream property for us, hasn't been given its dues in gaming since the Atari 2600, and has a huge universe to draw from," teased Eggebrecht, who added that "things are obviously in flux and we hope that the game proves to be as indestructible as our hero..."Though still unconfirmed, it seems fairly obvious that Factor 5 has its sights set on the son of Jor-El. We just hope that there's something left of him after his current cross-universe beatdown.
Variety: Brash to cease operations today
"High-quality theatrical based games" publisher Brash Entertainment is officially dead, as of today, according to a report from Variety. The company is reportedly planning to cease operations, with investors having walked away following co-founder Thomas Tull's departure in October.No word yet on the fate of Brash's many licensed developments, including Tale of Desperaux, Night at the Museum 2, Saw and the rumored Superman project with Factor 5. We've contacted the company for an official statement.
Oddworld elects ex-Brash CCO as new prez
Far from the dangers of Brash Entertainment, the battered publisher's former chief creative officer, Larry Shapiro, has found work serving Oddworld Inhabitants. As the studio's new president -- Sherry McKenna will remain CEO -- Shapiro has tasked himself with pushing Oddworld into "new frontiers," reports Variety. "We intend to break the model of where games are today in a unique and entertaining way," he told the site. What we think he means: Oddworld will be getting into episodic gaming a few "years" from now.At the very least, the Citizen Siege project has finally be cleared from the queue ... and shoveled into a shallow grave. [Update: Actually, Citizen Siege is "still in development," McKenna tells GamesIndustry.biz; just not with Vanguard.] We'd just as soon settle for the old Oddworld games with a lil' spit-shine applied, thank you very much. As for his former post at Brash, Shapiro had this to say: "I wanted to make Brash the Miramax or HBO of video games, but sales marketing and finance wanted it to be Majesco." Oh, BURN!
Brash layoffs result from 'tough economic landscape' [update]
Several weeks after another Brash Entertainment co-founder bolted and CEO Mitch Davis admitted his company had been "overly ambitious" in its first year, the publisher of really bad movie-based games has laid out a new "strategic cost reduction plan." Uh-oh, that sounds like ... you've got it: Layoffs. The company will axe 20 members of its staff and do away with several positions in the short term, reports GameDaily. The good news? Six Flags Fun Park for Wii and SAW are still on! Phew.Read Brash's official statement after the break.Update: Variety reports Brash has also stopped paying its developers and is attempting to "return" or sell off many of its licensed properties. Currently in limbo: Tale of Desperaux, Prison Break, Night at the Museum 2, Clash of the Titans, 300, and an announced Superman game (allegedly to be developed by Factor 5).
Brash boss: first year 'overly ambitious,' outlines improvement plan
Speaking with GameDaily in response Monday's Variety article (which we had our own response to) on the "turmoil" surrounding Brash Entertainment, CEO Mitch Davis acknowledged that "we took our lumps" on its first three titles – Jumper: Griffin's Story, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and Space Chimps – which scored 29, 33, and 55 (out of 100) on aggregate. Davis also vowed that changes are in store; ones that will hopefully lead to better games."First and foremost, we've put an end to short-cycle games," Davis told GameDaily, adding that, "some of our games will benefit from up to three years of development." This may explain why we've yet to see titles in development by Factor 5 and Game Republic, two of several "better development studios" Davis believes will help Brash get back on solid ground quality-wise.Speaking to the departure of company execs and other staff, Davis stated, "After our first few games did not meet expectation we decided that we needed to upgrade our staff," pointing to the hiring of former Activision licensing head Lori Plager as Senior Vice President, in charge of intellectual property acquisitions. Quality games based on quality source material? Sounds good – Brash just has to prove it can manage the former before gamers en mass can get behind this newly "refined" publisher.
Another Brash co-founder, Thomas Tull, bolts
Shockingly, the Brash formula of churning out abysmal movie-based games with little (read: no) redeeming qualities apparently hasn't panned out so well. Now, another of the company's co-founders, Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull, has followed the lead of former boss Nicholas Longano and vertically disembarked from Brash: The Boat Made of Holes by leaving the company's board.Proving that the rich and the proletariat do share some common ground, Variety reports "Tull is believed to have been disappointed with the quality of Brash's games." Welcome to the clubhouse, Tom. Sorry it's so packed in here.
Space Chimps doesn't look like a game based on a movie
Brash Entertainment just shot over some new screens for their upcoming game, Space Chimps. It's based on a soon-to-be-released movie of the same name. Check out the boxart above, then hit up the gallery for some more screens. For a game that's based on a movie, it doesn't look all that bad.If you want more, there's a video embedded past the post break, also.%Gallery-26093%
Six Flags is better than five flags, Wii agrees
Do you like rollercoasters? Haunted houses? Sideshow games? Now you can enjoy them all, simply by sitting on your couch. Six Flags Fun Park is now in development for the Wii and DS, and it's no surprise given the previous mutual agreement. Hopefully, after being best buddies with the Wii for so long, Six Flags and Brash Entertainment will have the decency to put out a quality game.It won't be a management game like the excellent Rollercoaster Tycoon series, but rather a -- big surprise -- collection of mini-games and virtual rides. Before dropping your dollars, weigh up the alternatives. Would you rather buy the game, or spend the money on a day's entry to the real Six Flags? The choice is yours, and we have some fresh screens in the gallery to help you with the decision.%Gallery-24451%
Film-focused game dev Brash loses president, hope
Nicholas Longano, co-founder and former president at film-centric game developer Brash Entertainment, has parted ways with the company according to a Daily Variety report, as well as scooped up by Newsweek's own N'Gai Croal. While the executive will keep an interest in the company as an investor, he'll no longer steer the ship and its focus on creating "high quality theatrical based games." Instead, that duty for the time being will fall to CEO Mitch Davis, who founded the company along with Longano just one year ago.Brash, which currently has movie-to-game deals in place with Lair dev Factor 5 and Yoshiki Okamoto's studio Game Republic, as well as a game based on gore-porn film franchise Saw, hasn't come forward with an official reason for the executive's quick exit. However, we remain unconvinced that the road to prosperity is paved in movie licenses, as the company's two existing releases, namely Alvin & the Chipmunks and Jumper: Griffin's Story, were both panned by critics. Additionally, while the former achieved decent sales, the report notes that the Jumper tie-in managed to sell just a measly 16,000 copies since it was released.
Brash Entertainment making a Six Flags game?
According to a listing over at Gamefly, Brash Entertainment, the folks behind the Alvin and the Chipmunks games on the DS and Wii, are hard at work on a title centered around the Six Flags theme parks. Brash, who are knee-deep in other movie license games, is taking a departure from their usual stomping grounds, should this listing turn out to be for an actual game.And what should we expect from this game if it's to become a reality? We have no idea right now, but we will say that we have seen plenty of games that confine you to a theme park, so we're leaning toward this being a sim title.The real question is would you want to manage a virtual Six Flags on your DS?[Via Siliconera]
Game Republic developing a game based on a 'popular Hollywood film'
Game Republic, best known for Folklore and their PSN outings Toy Home and Dark Mist, have been signed on to produce a title for Brash Entertainment. The game, based on a "popular Hollywood film," will be released in 2010 for unspecified platforms. Looking at Brash's history, this doesn't really bode well - their software library consists of Alvin and the Chipmunks and Jumper: Griffin's Story. Both of which bombed. Hard. We're in two minds, then, about what we can expect to see coming in 2010. Game Republic is a great developer who, ignoring Genji II, has a great PS3 legacy. On the other hand, what was the last good movie-based game you played? We cautiously look forward to hearing more.
GDC08: Zombie named as Saw game developer
Ok, we don't mean to be cynical. A Saw game does have a lot of potential and Brash Entertainment has seen fit to give the movie license to next-gen newcomer Zombie, the studio behind America's Army. We're interested how the game will stack up to other games like Barbie Horse Adventures and... oh wait, wrong side of the spectrum. Considering the movie rating association allows the films to be released with massive amounts of unapologetic gore yielding few complaints from the public, we wonder how the media will react to the game. Someone call Fox News, they always get their facts right. [via Joystiq]
Heard@GDC: Brash boss is oblivious to irony
"A lot of people give movie-based games a bit of a bad rap."-Mitch Davis, co-founder of Brash Entertainment, which has brought you Alvin and the Chipmunks and Jumper: Griffin's Story
