@ sharaleo, isn’t that just simple covering your arse, and not malice perse on the part of Chris Roberts?
My impression is that Crytek are hardly good guys in general.
Still, even though I have not even 1 pepny invested in this, I would be sad to see it fail. Large scale failure like this does nothing to further the hobby ™.
Meh, I think it’s shitty when Apple et al use shell companies to sell their IP to subsidiaries at inflated prices to avoid tax. So I think it’s shitty if CIG does the same thing. It’s absolutely malice - directed towards tax payers, for the benefit of shareholders (or in CIG’s case, backers) - as it is intentional and has quantifiable effect on collected taxes and therefore investment in infrastructure and services that governments are able to make. But, hate the game, not the player, I guess.
As to shielding owners if a business goes bust, if this thing goes belly up and CR and crew sail to the Bahamas in a yacht, well, same deal ultimately, hate the game, not the player. Doesn’t mean you can’t call the players out though.
We are in agreement.
I was under the impression this is the exact reason limited companies and then corporations were actually formed, with the net good being that capital flowed from savers into companies and then into countries, instead of the days where if your company went down (and it was a small company because it was you and your family basically) you were totally fucked.
Anyway, I’m not an expert, the finer points elude me, but this seems to be a textbook case of capitalism at it’s core, yes CR might “get away with it,” but the man is clearly a geek so the opprobrium he’ll be getting if he does fold and run away will make Peter Molyneux and the No Man’s Sky marketing department look like a Saint, and I think he’ll take that to heart.
edit-typos
FWIW, I think he started out with the best of intentions and really wanted to make the game. But then more money came rolling in than anyone ever imagined and he had no idea or plan of how to manage that. Things spiraled out of his control and he ended up making a mess of it. So yes, now I think he just wants a way out and it looks like Cryotek might provide him with that.
JeffL
6322
This. I think Chris had best of intentions when he created the kick starter funding. The game as defined was big but very contained and do-able. I invested at that level.
But then the next thing he knew, millions of dollars start flowing in. He finds he can sell vapor (JPGs of a space ship) for millions more. The money just keeps flowing in, and millions of dollars can be a heady thing. And the more he expands the plans, the more the money flows in. Next thing you know he’s hanging out with movie stars and directing them. And it all gets far, far bigger than he has the ability to manage. There’s no real way out for him. My guess, whether it’s this lawsuit or not, is that he would desperately like a way out that lets him keep all the money he and his family has pocketed.
Although that also means the millions stop flowing in. And he will likely never be able to do something like this again (at this level.)
dsmart
6323
This was always my opinion as well, and still is.
dsmart
6324
That isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds, given that Ortwin appears to be doing everything he can to righteously piss off the judge, thus guaranteeing that his MtD gets denied in its entirety.
Thing is, even with the latest ToS, it’s easy to see how they are now setup to bail at a moment’s instance, and with limited liability for non-delivery.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter how they do it, or when (it’s not “if” any more) they collapse, people are going to jail over this. Just wait and see what comes next. When I kept writing and hinting all year that this sort of legal action was coming (I’ve known about it since last year), some people thought I was just trolling.
There’s two things that jumped out at me in that reply. One is how disrespectful the language is, it’s written like a social media post. The second is that their arguments are mostly based on following the letter of the agreement while avoiding fulfilling any of the intent behind it, and that it’s possible for that to have been the idea from the start. If I had any agreement with them, I’d be reading it over and over to make sure of what it says.
I am definitively not a lawyer, but it also seems like half the time they’re not really replying to the claims and that they’ve made some statements about the copyright that will bite them in the ass. OTOH, the agreement has two glaring mistakes that could invalidate the whole thing. But that’s a very layman opinion.
Hate rape, not Weinstein. Hate ponzi schemes, not Madoff. Like, no? Sure, we should wait for more facts before condemning and shaming anyone, but if you act like ass you don’t get a pass because “oh, capitalism”. And their words certainly sound like asshole speech.
Janster
6326
Why the heck should they follow a different rule set than anyone else? I try to fight big cooperations by legislation, but until we pass some fucking laws on the subject, well…
They don’t have to, but a psycopathic act is still psycopathic.
Maybe they had some sort of morals, even though these aren’t lauded or rewarded in kleptocracies.
Scamper
6329
I found it interesting that Chris says they still have to do mocap on s42 part 2 and 3.
All this time and they only have part 1 in the can? I was under the impression that they just split s42 into episodes to get them out quicker.
Lantz
6330
It’s worse than that, if you look at the schedule that they put out, there’s stuff that is needed for S42 that isn’t even scheduled to be done until the end of the year. And that’s their super optimistic schedule that history would suggest that they won’t even get half of done. I am honestly baffled about how anyone can still have faith in this project just based on the amount of times that they have claimed that certain features and things are very nearly done and then they end up in the road maps years out.
I can’t imagine that they have even a tiny fraction of the developer talent that they would need to ever deliver this project based on the fact that they can’t even fix bugs let alone complete any developer tasks. What’s a new feature actually delivered in this game in the last year+ that isn’t just adding models?
dsmart
6331
My latest thread as the precursor to tomorrow’s ruling on the Crytek v RSI/CIG motion to dismiss
Gladguy
6334
I can’t wait to have a signed copy of Derek’s book on my shelf (next to the signed copy of Battlecruiser) when all this is over.
Or, alternatively, here is the comment from a lawyer who doesn’t have the same tired ax to grind:
The entire docket entry states:
Thursday, February 08, 2018 27 (IN CHAMBERS) ORDER by Judge Dolly M. Gee: The Court finds that Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint or Claims for Relief Therein or, in the Alternative, for a More Definite Statement and to Strike Certain Portions of the First Amended Complaint (FRCP 12(B)(6), 12(E) & 12(f))19 presently scheduled for hearing on February 9, 2018, is appropriate for decision without oral argument. Fed. R. Civ. P. 78(b); C.D. L.R. 7-15. Accordingly, the motion is taken UNDER SUBMISSION and the hearing is vacated. IT IS SO ORDERED. THERE IS NO PDF DOCUMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ENTRY. (kti) TEXT ONLY ENTRY
This means that the judge will take the arguments from the pleadings alone (motions for and against dismissal) without need for oral argument. This is very typical in federal court. I can promise you there will not be a decision by tomorrow.
i.e. not much to see here yet.
