It seems like companies look to far down the bottom line. For instance, this http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=269035. Actually, a very good looking game that would have made a hell of a demo. Square-Enix sent them a Cease and Desist letter so they have stopped development (or just developing for the public) of the game. With such a promising game, why not just allow them to finish what they have and actually sell it? I mean it wasn't like the game was low-quality. Square-Enix could have made a wonderful profit and gained some new talent, and given new hope to the indie programmers (and might have raised the bar on the quality of games we put out). I believe it would have been similar to what Valve did for Counter-Strike. So I guess my long-winded rant/question is: why don't companies examine a game and the team and just see absorb them if they're doing quality work? as opposed to just doling out Cease and Desist letters....?

If the team in question want to make a professional game then it is up to them to contact the company and pitch the concept. As has been discussed in other threads there are a large number of such projects. Companies can't be expected to go around evaluating everyone in the hopes of finding one that is worth publishing.

Don't forget that the vast majority of such projects collapse through lack of dedication/skill on the part of the team. The cost of kissing every frog just on the chance of finding one prince isn't realistic.

In addition just because a game is good doesn't mean it is the right game for the publisher. The creator of the TV show Babylon 5 already had a five series plan/story arc for his creation. Likewise the game company may already know where they want their game arc to go. If the fan game doesn't fit that then it isn't going to be released regardless.

i wasn't implying that companies actively search for "profitable" demos. but if you felt the need to send a cease and desist letter then it would seem that the game would affect them somehow (ie: be actually competition to something they already have). so why not just absorb the project and profit from it?

also if they have guys that go looking around finding games that challenge their ip rights, then they can have guys who can look at such projects and see if they deem worthy of even consideration of negotiating deals.

Sure the screen shots look great and they had some good talent working on the game - but they also didn't get permission to do it.

Call it a tribute, call it a homage, call it whatever you want - if you're going to "remake" a game, get permission to do so. What is so hard about this simple concept? Judging by the website they got a lot of buzz about their work; Square, as a business, couldn't have their product associated with this small business as if they were licensed to create it - so they shut it down. Yeah it sucks, but from a business point of view it makes perfect sense.

You simply can't allow others to become associated with your product; it's poor business judgement. If you decide "oh this is good work, I'll allow it" then you open the door for others to come in and start infringing on your works. Whether or not you like their work becomes irrelevant, because it could then be legally argued that you set precedent by allowing this first company to copy work you own. By doing so you imply that you allow the use of it.

Whether such a strategy would actually work in court is another story, but again as a business you'd be a fool to allow yourself to be vulnerable that way.

Quote: Original post by Alpha_ProgDes
i wasn't implying that companies actively search for "profitable" demos. but if you felt the need to send a cease and desist letter then it would seem that the game would affect them somehow (ie: be actually competition to something they already have). so why not just absorb the project and profit from it?

To "absorb" a game takes a lot more work than simply sending a letter. You have to examine the game and the team carefully before u know if it is worth supporting. As I said in my previous post they simply don't have the resources to check out all the possible game - especially when a good game still might not suit their plans for the IP.

Quote: also if they have guys that go looking around finding games that challenge their ip rights, then they can have guys who can look at such projects and see if they deem worthy of even consideration of negotiating deals.

No, that assumes that the two jobs require equal resources, which they don't. Searching the web and mailing out a letter takes a lot less time/effort than evaluating a game/team and as the odds of finding a viable project are almost nil it simply isn't a realistic suggestion.

The real question is why didnt they put their great talent to developing an original title, instead risking to be shut down?

They could have made a very cool CRPG in this style (which is rare on the PC these days)

This is one of those situations where you wish that Square Enix would step in and say, "Yeah, you can make this remake, but you're working for us and we'll own the rights to it," kind of like John Carmack did with the Linux version of Quake. Seeing Chrono Trigger done right in 3D like that brought a tear to my eye... not even Square themselves did the universe that much justice in Chrono Cross...

[Edited by - SephirothEX on September 7, 2004 3:20:04 PM]

All cease-and-desist-type orders are done through a company's legal department. If a company's executive decision-makers weren't kept in the dark about an excellent-quality indie project, I'm reasonably certain they'd take appropriate action to seize an opportunity. In most cases, the "people you need to talk to" merely aren't aware of these things and more so the bigger the organization.

Large organizations like Square-Enix are bureaucratic; thus, most behavior is ruled by policy. If the policy states that instances of copyright infringement should be met with legal action, the legal department does what it's told. After all, they're just people and that's their day job.

Who designed Chrono Trigger at Square Enix? Does he still work there? If so, send him an e-mail. The chances are that even he probably doesn't know about this project. Edit: His name is Hironobu Sakaguchi and he is now the President of Square USA, Inc. I just sent him an e-mail but I think my message would be more powerful if the entire fan community of the Chrono Resurrection project sent him e-mails. I mean, what's to consider when you receive 500 e-mails by people expressing how much they wanted the project to go somewhere? :)

[Edited by - Adraeus on September 7, 2004 1:21:14 PM]

I don't think petitions to game companies have ever worked. I've seen at least 10 "Chrono Break" petitions with thousands upon thousands of signatures.. none of them did anything. SquareEnix just doesn't care.

Quote: Original post by zircon_st
I don't think petitions to game companies have ever worked. I've seen at least 10 "Chrono Break" petitions with thousands upon thousands of signatures.. none of them did anything. SquareEnix just doesn't care.

Who cares about petitions? It's about getting the right information to the right people personally. I sent an e-mail directly to Hironobu Sakaguchi... not customer service, not tech support, and not public relations.