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SouthPeak publishing Stronghold 3 in early 2011
Update: SouthPeak has confirmed that Stronghold 3 will be released simultaneously online and at retail. SouthPeak Games and Firefly Studios hope you're ready to build a third, really strong building for ... um ... holding stuff, as the two companies announced this week that they'll be bringing out Stronghold 3 in "the first quarter of 2011." The game is said to feature an "improved building system" and new "dramatic nighttime sieges." The physics engine has also been given a refresh, with castles that "crumble into ruin before your eyes" -- hopefully not yours, of course! Stronghold 3 will get an "initial" digital-only release in early 2011, which SouthPeak says could be bolstered by a retail SKU. "A retail release is definitely not out of the question," the publisher said. "We want to deliver according to demand from the fans." So, what SouthPeak's saying is it depends on whether the game's digital release takes a strong enough hold on consumers' hearts, if you will? Ba-zing! %Gallery-99288%
Video: Two Worlds 2 gets all serious
After the surprisingly funny Sordahon's Journey videos, it's disappointing to see SouthPeak return to a more traditional style for its latest Two Worlds 2 trailer. Sure, you might actually learn something about the game -- the fact that it looks worlds better, for example -- but where's the fun in that?
Nobilis fires back at SouthPeak over My Baby IP, blames lack of payment for Majesco move
Responding to recent legal action between former My Baby franchise publisher SouthPeak Games and new publisher Majesco Entertainment, My Baby developer (and IP owner) Nobilis has placed blame for the move on "uncured breaches from SouthPeak, notably for non-payment." In so many words, it appears that Nobilis -- like other SouthPeak debtors -- is still waiting on unpaid bills from the publisher. Nobilis managing director Arnaud Blacher spoke with IndustryGamers regarding the lawsuit, saying that his company will also pursue litigation with SouthPeak over the issue. Furthermore, he confirmed that "all the contracts signed with SouthPeak in the US or in the UK have been terminated." As with most things legal, this situation is sure to get a lot more complicated long before we hear any sort of resolution. SouthPeak had yet to respond to a request for comment as of publishing.
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.
SouthPeak gets $10 million loan while losing biggest moneymaker
Outside of looming legal battles and down year-over-year revenues, SouthPeak recently received a $10 million "asset-based line of credit" that extends until February 28, 2012, reports IndustryGamers, effectively replacing an $8 million line of credit previously secured. We're not quite sure what debtors will have to take from SouthPeak should the publisher not be able to repay the $10 million, though, as Majesco Entertainment apparently scooped up SP's biggest franchise in mid June, My Baby. For what it's worth, SouthPeak chairman Terry Phillips said of the credit, "Securing this additional credit provides us with greater financial flexibility and presents a clear message to our investors that we are confident of our business prospects and growth opportunities over the near- and long-term." Here's hoping that Two Worlds 2 and Battle vs. Chess are enough to help the company get its feet back on the ground in the coming year.
Battle vs. Chess coming this Fall to just about every platform
SouthPeak's infringement-skirting Battle vs. Chess has apparently been pushed back from its initial May launch window, according to a press release. And the fact that May's almost over and the game's not out yet. However, the game is now set to launch this Fall, and will be released for 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP and PC. So, like, everything except the iPhone and the Lynx. According to the presser, the game will include an "Action Mode," where pieces won't automatically kill one another in scripted animations, but will rather place players in a "beat-'em-up style encounter." Somewhere, Garry Kasparov is openly weeping.
NinjaTown: Trees of Doom half price for a 'limited time'
Between scaling deadly pines and being adorable, NinjaTown franchise star Wee Ninja somehow found the time to pow-wow with Business Ninja and work out a price drop for NinjaTown: Trees of Doom. The Doodle Jump-like series spinoff game landed on iPhone earlier this month for $1.99, but apparently developer Venan Entertainment decided that it's "not yet satisfied" with sales, despite remaining atop the Top 25 paid app charts for some time now. No official end date is given for the sale, though the game's iTunes App Store listing says it will stay on sale "while featured by Apple." Better get it while the getting's good then, eh? NinjaTown: Trees of Doom (Venan Entertainment, $0.99):
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.
Two Worlds 2 pre-order bonus includes unique sword and bonus area
You, like ourselves, may have noticed a gnawing curiosity in Two Worlds 2 growing over the past few months. The sequel does, after all, let you freeze people with lightning bolts. If you're dead set on sating your curiosity, SouthPeak has let us in on a pair of bonuses you would receive if you pre-ordered Two Worlds 2 from GameStop: First is the Luciendar, which you probably already know is "the fabled weapon used to defeat the mighty desert dragon Tang'Raoul." Basically, it's a giant, super-powerful, two-handed sword that you'll be able to access once your character reaches level 15. Second is "the Labyrinth," an exclusive bonus area with its own set of quests that publisher SouthPeak has detailed to a hyper-nerdy extent after the break. %Gallery-92963%
Grab Section 8 for $15 on PSN this week
TimeGate and Southpeak have taken serious measures to help move their download-only PS3 version of Section 8 -- for the next week, the game's price will be dropped by fifty percent. For $14.99, you can pick up the full version of the game and its three DLC multiplayer maps on the PlayStation Store. It's hard to say no to that price -- especially since you'll need to absorb the game's rich backstory in order to have any idea what's going on when you play Sections 9, 10 and 11.
'My Baby' sold by SouthPeak -- one million times
SouthPeak Interactive may be a little wobbly on paper and in the courtroom, but its My Baby franchise was born to run. The publisher's three My Baby games have sold over one million units in the US and Canada. Yes, one million units over three games may not sound so impressive, but we're talking about a series that retails for $30 and likely didn't cost much more to develop. The games are meant to appeal to girls ages 6 to 11, allowing "gamers" to start with a newborn in My Baby Boy and My Baby Girl, then transitioning them to "experience the joys of parenthood through to the toddler years in My Baby First Steps" After that, they'll be all set for the real thing with 16 and Pregnant.
Two Worlds 2 arrives on our world September 14
We've already gone on record as saying that Two Worlds II doesn't look nearly as terrible as we fully expected it to, but we're still a little surprised to report we were genuinely, non-ironically excited to see that it had been officially dated this morning. Publisher SouthPeak says the open-world action-RPG will arrive on Sept. 14 on PS3, 360 and PC. Perhaps before then we'll get our hands on the game and be able convert our "non-pessimism" to "optimism." Here's hoping! %Gallery-89295%
UK election campaign spills over into 3D Dot Game Heroes
If you're in the UK and are having a hard time getting a handle on the upcoming general election, perhaps seeing how the three party leaders perform as blocky, giant-sword-wielding heroes will help your decision-making. SouthPeak has added downloadable 3D Dot Game Heroes characters based on party leaders Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. (Perhaps Southpeak is semi-overtly referring to the UK's top politicians as blockheads?) The downloadable politicians are accessible from the "Vault" section of the 3D Dot Game Heroes EU website, which is also home to the web-based character editor. For those of you outside of the UK, there are three new "Guy in a Suit" characters on the site. 3D Dot Game Heroes will be released in Europe on May 14 and in North America on May 11.
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.
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.
Impressions: Two Worlds II
I rush back to the PAX East press room, locked in that strange place between disbelief and acceptance, nigh incapacitated by the surreal certainty that my worldview is in the process of being fundamentally shifted. "Guys," I say to the collected Joystiq staffers fully expecting my verbal evisceration of TopWare's follow-up. "Guys ... Two Worlds II actually looks kind of cool." They don't believe me. %Gallery-89295%
New Dementium 2 trailer packs small screen with big creeps
It's become rather common for DS game commercials to show the game via an onscreen DS console. Understandable, considering most titles wouldn't look too hot all stretched out for today's modern high resmolution screens. But then, the usual presentation -- tiny DS screens embedded within a larger screen -- is a bit bland. SouthPeak has come up with an interesting solution for the marketing behind Renegade Kid's upcoming horror FPS Dementium 2. The solution is simple: Rather than overlaying the screens on a DS mockup image, simply embed the screens in human flesh. Granted, it probably wouldn't work for, say, the Imagine series, but it's damned effective here. Give it a watch.
Paradox Interactive files injunction against SouthPeak
Publisher SouthPeak's legal troubles continue, with developer Paradox Interactive filing an injunction against the company for disagreements that start with a familiar issue: lack of payment. Gamasutra reports that Paradox, developer of Europa Universalis 3 and the recently unveiled Lead & Gold, claims SouthPeak owes it $585,382, revenue from distribution of its games that the publisher has not passed along. "SouthPeak has failed to comply with its payment obligations even for game units which it previously reported to Paradox, and SouthPeak's executives have informed Paradox's executives that SouthPeak is currently financially unable to satisfy its payment obligations to Paradox under the Agreement," the legal filing reads. After Paradox terminated its distribution agreement with SouthPeak last month, according to Gamasutra's summary, SouthPeak "threatened" to request that unsold inventory be returned by retailers -- and it's this action that Paradox is trying to prevent with its injunction. In addition, it is seeking a receiver to collect the money it claims SouthPeak owes.
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.
SouthPeak revenue down 42% year-over-year in second quarter of FY2010
Wake up! After that headline, we saw you start dozing and we wanted to make sure you were with us for the next hundred-ish words of pure, unbridled excitement. According to SouthPeak Interactive's fiscal 2010 second quarter financial results released this morning (which make up the last three months of calendar 2009, ending December 31), the publisher netted $10.1 million, a 42% decline from fiscal 2009's second quarter results of $17.3 million. In one of the report's few positive notes, company CEO Melanie Mroz notes that the My Baby franchise grew 45 percent "compared with the last holiday season" -- and we were so worried about SouthPeak's baby! Notably, the decline in revenue was blamed on "a decrease in the number of titles released in the fiscal 2010 period." Also, the games that the company did publish weren't the pricier Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles. We've got a free solution for you though, SouthPeak -- My Baby Next-Gen: Future Baby for the aforementioned consoles. That one's for free, guys. The next one'll cost ya.
