South Park Studios VS THQ

[C2B]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509423

 

http://www.thesangreal.net/gafpics/sps_object.pdf

http://www.thesangreal.net/gafpics/thq_sps_response.pdf

 

Basically SPS says Stick of Truth can't even be included in the sale. THQ says otherwise.

Edited January 22, 2013 by C2B

[Tale]

Oh geeze.

[O.DOGG]

I wonder how all of this would affect Obsidian.

[TSBasilisk]

Hard to tell how much is posturing and how much is genuine concern. Without knowing the details of the Deal Memo it's hard to say whether THQ does have the rights to transfer the license or not; they may just be trying to bluff so they can get the profit off selling the license while avoiding more debt on top of what they're already buried under. Hopefully they'll hash a deal out fast, rather than letting the game get stuck in limbo.

[Baeus]

There's always something.

[Luridis]

Uh, correct me if I am wrong but... Didn't SPS choose Obsidian as the developer? They may be making an attempt at preserving their right to choose the publisher. With UBI's current customer dissatisfaction level, this could be an attempt to prevent a company they perceive as potentially annoying their customers from making a mess of the release.

[Lostbrain]

What a mess... I hope this will not affect too much Obsidian's financial situation...

[TSBasilisk]

The arrangements involving licensed games can be confusing and are generally kept under wraps. In this case, SPS directly approached Obsidian to act as developers for the game. THQ acted as the publisher and was granted the license for using the IP. That license, and the associated published rights, were what went up for auction.

 

FOR THOSE STILL WORRIED:

 

In a recent article I see mention that several companies that had voiced objections to the auction, including SPS, have stated their objections were resolved.

 

http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/23/3907840/thq-bankruptcy-vigil-bids

 

"Lawyers for companies like 505 Games, South Park Digital Studios, Viacom, Crytek, Games Workshop, Yuke's, and others — all companies that had business relationships with THQ — were either present in person or on a conference call to acknowledge the resolution of their objections. Many will carry over to new relationships; for example, Games Workshop will "work in good faith" with Sega — the new owner of Relic, the studio that created titles based on its intellectual property — in order to satisfy its objections to the sale."

 

My legalese isn't too good, but it looks like SPS may be agreeing to let the sale go through and will hash out details with Ubi.

Edited January 24, 2013 by TSBasilisk