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Hasbro reclaims D&D video game license from Atari.

N

Nairume

Banned
And Cryptic's Neverwinter is delayed in the process.

When Atari first announced the PC role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter, the publisher did so under a cloud of uncertainty, thanks to an ongoing legal dispute with Hasbro over the seminal pen-and-paper RPG license. While Hasbro and Atari today announced a settlement to their dispute, Neverwinter has been delayed after all, due not to legal wrangling but to the publisher selling the game's developer, Cryptic Studios, to Perfect World Entertainment.

Neverwinter was revealed last August with a generic 2011 release date attached. As a result of the Cryptic Studios sale, the game is now set for release in late 2012, with Perfect World "investing in a more immersive experience" for the game.

As originally announced, Neverwinter would let players choose from five traditional D&D character classes. Gamers could then join five-man squads composed of other online players to venture forth into the city's dungeons, completing quests and gathering items along the way. Neverwinter was also intended to offer a single-player component, in which players could recruit computer-controlled allies to accomplish the same missions.

Neverwinter aside, the settlement between Hasbro and Atari brings to a close a legal fight that had been waged since December of 2009. As part of the agreement, Hasbro will regain the digital licensing rights to the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. However, Atari will still be able to sell and develop a selection of games under the license, including its recently released downloadable action game Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale and the upcoming Facebook game Heroes of Neverwinter. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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On one hand, this is great. Atari's mismanagement of the property has grown to mindblowing levels with pretty much everything surrounding Daggerdale and everything else they have (or, rather, haven't) done with the franchise aside from having DDO go the freemium route. On the other hand, Neverwinter getting delayed in the process kind of sucks, because the game was actually starting to look rather interesting.

On the OTHER other hand, this now leaves the question of who among the major publishers will step forward to take the license, if any at all?
 
C

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Ceebs said:
Give it to whoever agrees to make a turn based 4E game.
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This is the only correct route. However, I can't think of any great developers offhand who would qualify.
 
O

Orayn

Member
Ceebs said:
Give it to whoever agrees to make a turn based 4E game.
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This, please. A tactical RPG based on 4E would be fan-fucking-tastic. The two are pretty much made for each other.
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
Nairume said:
Don't they already have Warhammer, or is that just limited to 40k?
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I'm fairly sure that it's just 40K. I think last people to have the license were Namco Bandai?
 
P

Polk

Member
I wonder what happens with all those Atari published games on Steam and GOG (and other dd services).
 
M

Manos: The Hans of Fate

Banned
Polk said:
I wonder what happens with all those Atari published games on Steam and GOG (and other dd services).
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I suspect, the settlement allows for previous deals to be honored for their original length as when they were first signed.

However, Atari will still be able to sell and develop a selection of games under the license,
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Granted that is vague, but generally in law you don't enter into a settlement that spawns more lawsuits or issues.
 
W

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Good riddens! A 4E DnD game should be the easiest thing in the world to make, but their first entry into the edition is Daggerdale? That game was disgustingly bad.
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
Actually, what if EA picks up the license? They have an existing relationship with Hasbro, and Bioware could always use a new IP... Or a chance to revive an old one.
 
LowerLevel

LowerLevel

Member
Keiician said:
Yes please, I want another Shadows over Mystara.
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Bloody THIS!!!! Tower too! All up in my Live/PSN! Right after Guadian Heroes and Radiant Silvergun... damn just got my front wet from the thoughts! I am actually giddy now that it "could" possibly happen now that the failure that is Atari is out of the picture.
 
T

Takao

Banned
V_Ben said:
Actually, what if EA picks up the license? They have an existing relationship with Hasbro, and Bioware could always use a new IP... Or a chance to revive an old one.
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Activision has an existing relationship with Hasbro. Konami has an existing relationship with Hasbro, etc.
 
N

Nairume

Banned
Pyrrhus said:
Is this going to screw anything up regarding the D&D games on GOG.com?
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Probably not. Just like how Interplay was/is able to still redistribute their D&D games, Atari will be able to sell what they've already made. They just can't develop anything new unless they get the rights back.
 
C

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Lactose_Intolerant said:
Obsidian?
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Obsidian would do great with the story and dialogue, but the real appeal of 4E is the turn-based combat. I fear that Obsidian would screw that up, badly, by making everything buggy and broken. They'd release something bad, it would sell poorly, and publishers would entrench their current thinking that turn-based RPGs can't succeed.
 
N

Nairume

Banned
V_Ben said:
Actually, what if EA picks up the license? They have an existing relationship with Hasbro, and Bioware could always use a new IP... Or a chance to revive an old one.
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Bioware and EA have probably both invested enough into Dragon Age to the point to where they won't want to bother with D&D any time soon.
 
N

Nairume

Banned
FrostuTheNinja said:
This man knows his shit.

I'd like to see some more proper love put into a D&D game. Damned infinite well of possibilities.
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They don't even need to go that deep into the well! At the very least, they could just put out something like Unlimited Adventures or Neverwinter Nights that is effectively just a digital GM that includes some basic campaigns and let you make your own stuff for when you finish the core game.
 
A

Alrus

Member
V_Ben said:
Actually, what if EA picks up the license? They have an existing relationship with Hasbro, and Bioware could always use a new IP... Or a chance to revive an old one.
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No thanks, I don't want them ruining either Baldur's gate or IwD. Even Obsidian would be a much better choice.
 
L

Lostconfused

Member
You know I can still see Bioware doing this. They are completely incompetent when it comes to designing game systems so using some one elses working system and building a game around it could work.
 
V

Van Buren

Member
A NWN 3 by Obsidian's team behind MoTB (Avellone, Zeits, etc.) would be great. A turn-based mode similar to ToEE or Knights of the Chalice along with the typical Real-Time /w Pause mode for the masses would be all I'd ask for then.

Come to think of it, more games based on the 3.5 edition ruleset would be welcome, but I'd settle for the 4E rules.
 
M

Manos: The Hans of Fate

Banned
Chairman Yang said:
Obsidian would do great with the story and dialogue, but the real appeal of 4E is the turn-based combat. I fear that Obsidian would screw that up, badly, by making everything buggy and broken. They'd release something bad, it would sell poorly, and publishers would entrench their current thinking that turn-based RPGs can't succeed.
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I agree, I almost feel like Obsedian should be hired to do story, quests, dialogue, and pre-planning on mechanics, and then production be done by some other studio. I know that's it's own recipe for destruction, but I mean I love a lot of Obsedian games, but those guys are like Trokia. Either they don't get enough time, or even with delays it's still bugged up. I swear I'd love to know why they screw up so bad in this respect.

I mean KOTOR2 is fine to blame LucasArts for, but didn't they know they had a deadline to work with? I'm kind of amazed Alpha Protocol even game out and wasn't just canceled. Considering when it came out it still had a ton of issues.
/rant

Sorry, I love the games, but man are they buggy as hell.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I'm sure I'm alone in this, but I would kill for a turn based Ravenloft RPG.
 
C

charsace

Member
Give the license to Eidos and have Eidos monteal work with Obsidian. I don't see how we wouldn't get a great game out of that pairing.
 
Y

Yuripaw

Banned
Is there a reason we don't have games like Baldur's Gate, and Icewind Dale on steam yet? I'd love to play those again.
 
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