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Dementium series developer obtains sequel rights
Developer Renegade Kid has reacquired control of its Dementium series, a horror-focused intellectual property that birthed two frightening games on the Nintendo DS. Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham took to Twitter to announce the deal: I am ecstatic to announce that Renegade Kid now has the rights to create Dementium sequels! EXCITE!! - Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 16, 2014 The first game in the series, Dementium: The Ward, was distributed by publisher GameCock, which has since shuttered. Its sequel and the IP was then handled by SouthPeak Interactive, which had published the first game in Europe. Developer Renegade Kid has since gone on to create the Mutant Mudd series and the episodic 3DS game Moon Chronicles. "We have always retained ownership of the Dementium IP," Watsham told me. "SouthPeak used to have first right of refusal on sequels, but that is no longer the case."
TimeGate loses SouthPeak appeal, faces $7.3M in damages
TimeGate Studios lost the latest round in court of its battle against publisher SouthPeak Interactive, which could result in the studio paying $7.35 million in damages and losing the Section 8 intellectual property. Polygon obtained the court documents that SouthPeak recently won its appeal of arbitration handled early last year.The two companies have been fighting in court since 2009, when TimeGate sued SouthPeak for embezzling royalties and SouthPeak took on Timegate for fraudulent misrepresentation in its publishing agreement.TimeGate most recently co-developed Aliens: Colonial Marines and laid off 25 employees. It is currently working on the free-to-play shooter Minimum. Meanwhile, Southpeak is busy... um, looks like it's busy making money through litigation. The publisher hasn't produced a game since Stronghold 3 in 2011 according to its own website.
Dementium 2 makes scary, unlikely jump from DS to PC
Dementium II, the 2010 DS game, is coming to PCs. SouthPeak subsidiary 7Sixty revealed the news through the above teaser trailer and a brand new website. According to the notes at the bottom of the site, the game is being developed by Memetic Games and published by Digital Tribe.The jump to PC seems unlikely given the DS' resolution and the touchscreen controls of the sequel to Dementium: The Ward. Then again The Ward, a DS first-person shooter horror, seemed pretty unlikely back in 2007. There's no word yet on when PC players can book another stay at the Bright Dawn Treatment Center.Until then, check out our brochure after the break.
SouthPeak to stop selling 'My Baby' during legal issues
While SouthPeak continues its legal dispute with My Baby developer Nobilis and publisher Majesco over the rights to the franchise and My Baby 3, the publisher will discontinue selling My Baby Girl and My Baby First Steps. SouthPeak Chairman Terry Phillips stated in an investor call today, "We firmly believe we are the rightful holder of the intellectual property to this franchise." He continued that the company is currently in court proceedings to resolve, what he calls, the wrongful termination of its agreements with Nobilis and is seeking damages for the developer soliciting the My Baby 3 rights to Majesco. He concluded that the company plans to "vigorously" defend its position. The My Baby franchise has been a "significant" part of the company's revenue, according to Phillips. So, missing My Baby 3 -- along with the other titles -- from the portfolio isn't helping SouthPeak's already glum financials.
'Get Fit with Mel B' among highlights in shaky SouthPeak financial report
When Get Fit with Mel B is name-dropped no less than three times in your annual fiscal year report as a positive indicator, it tends to raise a red flag. SouthPeak Interactive today shared the financial results of its fiscal 2010 year (July 2009 – June 2010) and did its best to paint an optimistic picture for the current fiscal year. But even fervor over a Spice Girl comeback "this fall" (a firm release date has yet to be locked down) couldn't cover up the bottom line: SouthPeak recorded a net loss of $5.8 million last fiscal year. At least the company has "improved" upon fiscal 2009's $13.3 million loss ... Anybody? Other highlights from fiscal 2010 include an increase in total units sold to 2.6 million from 2.4 million in fiscal 2009; and the release of 29 titles compared to 18 in fiscal 2009. Read that again -- it seems two "highlights" can combine to form a low point: Average unit sales per title fell from 133.33K in fiscal 2009 to 89.66K last fiscal year. "While fiscal 2010 was a challenging year, we made critical improvements to our infrastructure and carefully controlled our costs to better align our operations with our revenue stream," SouthPeak CEO Melanie Mroz said in a conference call today. "Fiscal 2011 will be a continuation of controlled expense and a carefully managed title release schedule. Our focus remains on increasing sales with new titles that address gaming in a way that separates us from our competition."
SouthPeak made a molehill of profit last quarter
SouthPeak Interactive bounced back from a quarterly net loss of a couple million dollars, pocketing $192,000 in profit for the third quarter (January–March) of its fiscal year ending June 30 -- time to splurge on Charmin for the executive bathrooms! Despite the profit, net revenues during the quarter were down to $7.5 million, compared to $13.5 million during the Q3 last year. Total revenue for the first nine months of the fiscal year was reported to be $34 million, also down compared to the $39 million during the same period in fiscal 2009. With its legal issues apparently over, hopefully SouthPeak can focus on making its My Baby franchise grow up big and strong. The company also plans to build a better kingdom, announcing that it has acquired the rights to Firefly Studios' Stronghold 3.
Paradox and Southpeak settle lawsuit
It's not exactly good news for SouthPeak but, given the ironically rocky year it's had, the company will probably settle for lukewarm. Said news is this: Paradox Interactive and SouthPeak have settled their lawsuit. Last month, Paradox filed against SouthPeak to the tune of $585,382, allegedly revenue that SouthPeak had failed to pay to the developer (a claim that seems to haunt the publisher). According to IndustryGamers, the two companies have amicably settled their differences, with SouthPeak agreeing to "satisfy all of its payment obligations to Paradox Interactive." Both parties issued statements regarding SouthPeak's financial status, with SouthPeak itself noting that the settlement "has demonstrated its financial stability," while Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester notes that the speedy conclusion "is a tribute to their professionalism and their sound financial integrity." One can only hope that SouthPeak manages to foster this sense of conviviality among all its developers. We're sure the company has had its fill of lawsuits by now.
Section 8 coming to PS3 download-only with added content
We brought word yesterday that Section 8 was on its way to PS3, and that's simultaneously gotten more and less solid -- a phenomenon we're pretty sure would freak even Bill Nye out. While we know concretely that it will arrive on Sony's console this spring, we also learned it won't be arriving in a solid form at all, as the title will be exclusively available on PSN. Moreover, this new version will include the three maps 360 and PC players had to pay extra for and the ability for players to host games on their PCs (as seen in the Xbox 360 version). We worry that a bit too much time has passed to get PlayStation owners interested in Section 8, but putting it on PSN seems like a darn smart way to do it. We also suspect that a certain legal commotion might have a little involvement with the decision.
Section 8 still preparing to drop on PS3
The possibility of jetpack-rich, Tribes-esque action on PS3 just got a little less nebulous. Speaking with IGN, a TimeGate spokesperson said that the developer's Section 8 would be coming to PS3 at some point, though no formal release window has been settled on. The news shouldn't come as a surprise to the Joystiq faithful, as we reported last December that TimeGate had alleged that publisher SouthPeak entered into an unauthorized PS3 licensing deal for the game with Russian company 1C. Whether or not the suit will keep the game in legal limbo (and for how long if so) remains to be seen.
SouthPeak bringing 3D Dot Game Heroes to Europe
Here's an announcement for those of you across the pond, uncertain whether you'll experience the PS3's retro revival in From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes this May. SouthPeak Interactive recently announced the European release of 3DDGH via its Euro distribution arm. The game is also set for a May 2010 release, though no date is specifically given -- it's said to be "in line with the North American release." For what it's worth, US publisher Atlus is totally stoked to be working with SouthPeak on the title. VP of sales and marketing at Atlus Tim Pivnicny noted in the announcement release, "SouthPeak Games is the perfect publisher for 3D Dot Game Heroes in Europe." He cited SouthPeak's "shared enthusiasm" for the title as a motivator for the partnership, not to mention the US publisher's desire to ship the game day and date in European markets. "[SouthPeak] also recognize the frustration of many European gamers to not get exciting releases until months after other regions, which is why we're working closely together to deliver a simultaneous launch for North America and Europe." %Gallery-70578%
TimeGate sues SouthPeak for alleged breaches in publishing agreement
Chalk up another frustrated party accusing SouthPeak of wrongdoing. The company has been sued by Section 8 developer TimeGate, which alleges that the publisher has withheld royalty payments and entered into a PS3 licensing deal on the game with Russian company IC, an arrangement that TimeGate claims SouthPeak had no right to make. In legal documents obtained by Joystiq, TimeGate also alleges that this SouthPeak T-shirt promotion was unauthorized, that the publisher had mislead TimeGate about sales figures and that the publisher has stated it should not have to adhere to TimeGate's original agreement, as it had been made with Gamecock, which SouthPeak purchased in late 2008. We've reached out to SouthPeak for comment. If you prefer your language far more formal, the lawsuit puts it like this: "[SouthPeak] failed to provide a sufficient sales report, withheld royalty payments and did not adhere to the obligation to act in good faith and fair dealing when they established the sham transaction in order to deprive TimeGate of royalties despite the special relationship between the parties and being in a position of trust." No specific amount is mentioned in the suit, with TimeGate asking only for "compensatory damages in an amount to be determined" following an independent audit of Section 8's sales.
TNA seeking 'long-term partner' for future 360/PS3 TNA Impact! games
Yesterday's announcement that TNA Impact!: Cross the Line would be heading to DS and PSP by way of SouthPeak Games (a game left over from the collapse of Midway Games) wasn't exactly a shock to ardent followers of the franchise. The question of whether or not TNA would pursue additional games on current-gen consoles (360/PS3/PC), however, remained up in the air. We spoke with a TNA representative last evening who told Joystiq that the company is "working on a long-term solution" for the development of said games. "We absolutely want a long-term partner for video games, and it's super important to TNA to have a long-term partner for games on the current consoles like 360 and PlayStation," the rep said. And though he admitted (after much prying, in fairness) that development of that next TNA game on 360/PS3 is "kind of open to the market" in terms of a developer/publisher, the company "likes SouthPeak as a partner now" and "would like to continue to work with them." For now though, SouthPeak will only retain the right to publish the TNA back catalog and the upcoming handheld title.
Rumor: Sun sets on 'Edge of Twilight'
Little-known "steampunk fantasy" game Edge of Twilight (hey, Tim Langdell, that's your cue) has apparently gone over the horizon and into oblivion. Kotaku cites sources at Australia-based Fuzzyeyes Studios (which may have shut down) that claim the game ceased development months ago. The title was supposed to release this year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The last we'd seen of Edge of Twilight was a Japanese trailer released in late 2008. When contacted today, publisher SouthPeak Games offered, "No comment." If the rumor is true, don't be too sad about missing out on Fuzzyeyes' God of War–inspired title. After all, the original Ghost of Sparta will star in a new installment early next year -- and there's always Dante's Inferno. %Gallery-34678%
Section 8 gets new maps on PC only
TimeGate has announced an expansion of its multiplayer-focused shooter, Section 8, with the "Seek and Destroy Map Pack," which adds three new maps and 10 new achievements for 560 ($7). Though the game is available on Xbox 360 as well, the company is only making mention of PC availability for the content at the moment. The industry has become so skewed towards a console focus as of late, it's kind of nice to see PC players getting some exclusive love. Now, let's all be real quiet and see if we can detect the exact moment their heads explode when they hear they have to pay for it. [Via BigDownload]
SouthPeak doubles game sales in 2009 amid dropping profits
Though SouthPeak is keen to point out that its net revenues rose from last year by $7.2 million, the company's profits for the year remain firmly in the red, with a $12.1 million posted loss for the 2009 fiscal year ending June 30. SouthPeak's loss report comes confusingly paired with a 100% increase in units sold from fiscal year 2008 (from 1.2 to 2.4 million units) -- 2009's posted $12.1 net loss gets explained away by "approximately $12.5 million invested in game development and intellectual property for future title releases," among other things. The report also allows "$1.6 million of expenses relating to the Gamecock acquisition," hopefully some of which went to paying Gamecock debt now owed by SouthPeak -- this on top of another $4.6 million or so for "charges relating to write-downs on software values and sequel right values to certain titles." Unsurprisingly, the publisher hopes that upcoming titles Two Worlds 2 and My Baby: First Steps, as well as a "highly-anticipated sequel to Dementium," will bolster its next fiscal year. We're just hoping the games the company does sell will actually garner some profit this time around.
Section 8 prepares for retail drop: releases new trailer, screens
Having released today on Xbox 360, and with three days to go until it drops on PC for North American retailers, Section 8 has only a few scant opportunities for a pre-release volley of teaser materials. The latest assault is a new trailer and a couple images for the shooter. Don't let the lack of hype for the title fool you; fans of objective-based multiplayer should definitely try out the demo, which doles out a taste of the game's dynamic mission system. Oh, and it has jetpacks. Everyone likes those, right? Drop into a game and check it out. Update: Fixed release dates. %Gallery-4522%
Section 8 dated, clan and stat portal detailed
First off, as the headline eloquently suggests, Section 8 has been blessed with a release date. The game will hit North American shelves on September 4, the UK and Asia / Pacific regions on September 11 and the rest of Europe on September 18. So there's that. In other mechanically enhanced soldier news, TimeGate has announced its plans to open a clan and stat portal for the game. The clan portal will allow users to access lots of special features, including automatically updating clan tags, establishing clan hierarchies, and reviewing the stats of new applicants. Meanwhile, the stats page will (obviously) list comprehensive stats for the game, including career statistics, records achieved in a single "life," as well as the number of badges earned and feats accomplished. Leaderboards can also be organized by overall stats or restricted to just those within an individual clan. Finally, both Xbox 360 and PC players will enjoy "mutually exclusive" stats, which should hopefully avert any potential "mouse vs. keyboard" flame wars. The stats page, located here, will launch next week alongside the North American release of the game.
Gamecock acquisition goes south - vendors accuse SouthPeak of not paying up
Created by industry entrepreneurs Mike Wilson, Rick Stults and Harry Miller, the Gamecock Media Group set out to buck-buck-buck the trend -- a perceived sequence of retreads, rehashes and remakes that characterized a rapidly expanding games industry. The games were undoubtedly indie, the choices bizarre and the rooster costumes touted by Wilson and the gang were just plain weird. But not nearly as weird as the David vs. Goliath scenario that ended with the lowly rock slinger shaking hands with his imposing foe. But in October of 2008, SouthPeak Interactive Corporation stepped out of the role of opposition, instead donning the chivalrous and sharply dressed persona of corporate savior. A shaky economy had compelled Gamecock's main investor to tighten the belt, an act which former Gamecock CEO (and subsequent co-founder of Devolver Digital) Mike Wilson deemed a swift and unexpected crisis. "He and his board decided that with their main business bleeding so badly, they needed to cut off anything 'ancillary'," Wilson said, "such as his investment in outside businesses, one of which was our company." With the timing sitting uncomfortably close to the Christmas rush and promising titles like Legendary and Mushroom Men on the verge of completion, Gamecock needed help. "And suddenly there was NO money. So, we literally had to find someone to acquire us immediately ... someone who knew the business, could see the imminent revenues versus liabilities, and move very fast." And for a Goliath, SouthPeak was pretty fast. "A week later, we were bought, and all we could do was put on a happy face and hope for the best."
Section 8 open beta is go
TimeGate Studios has announced that the Section 8 open PC beta for North America, Europe and Australia is now ... open. The beta grants users with access to two of the game's multiplayer maps and offers up "a variety of some of the vehicles, weapons, deployables, missions, and equipment." The beta is free, and all that's needed to get fragging is a Fileplanet, IGN or GameSpy account. To sign up, simply visit this link and fill out a few forms. You'll then be given a CD-Key and access to download the beta. The beta is on a first come, first serve basis, so hop to it if you want in. To find out if your rig can handle the game, check out the PC specs after the break.
Video: The story behind Section 8
We know what you've been thinking. You've been watching the videos and reading the articles about Section 8 and you've thought, "Sure, it's pretty cool that I can drop from space, charge across half a mile of terrain in 10 seconds and then have HQ drop a tank right on the battlefield for me, but what's my motivation?" Thankfully, the fine folks at TimeGate have your answer in the form of a new developer diary. The video delves into he history of Section 8 (the good guys), the rise of its best soldier, Alex Corde, and the group's conflict with the Arm of Orion (not the good guys). With that out of the way, hopefully we can all just focus on the whole drop-from-the-sky-and-kill-everything aspect of the game now.
