Hasbro and Atari resolve D&D rights dispute

[Legacy_omen_shepperd]

               

Sethan_1 wrote...

Androrc wrote...

There is still the issue of WotC's hostility towards third edition...

Not a problem.  Go back to 2e. '>

I wish they would.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Androrc]

               

Sethan_1 wrote...

Androrc wrote...

There is still the issue of WotC's hostility towards third edition...

Not a problem.  Go back to 2e. '>

I think 3e and it's derivations are superior to 2e, so I would rather stay with NWN in that case.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               WotC will never support old editions, in fact, they make their money by constantly changing things, forcing folks to purchase new rule books etc, that is where a large portion of their income comes from.  

This means that any 3e rules for any NEW game are out of the question... WotC has always blocked that, and will constantly do so.  Even though they have been bought out, their habits have not changed much.  Face it, we will be constantly stuck with NWN 1 for the rules that we are used to... 4e rules while offering some simplifications, are likely to change before much longer anyway, and maybe the next set will be more to our liking... though doubtful at this stage of things.

Hasbro will not likely support the old stuff either, unless they decide to re-publish the old rule sets, which means paying someone else royalties on those rules... Accountants are not likely to recommend doing something like that.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Androrc]

               Well, Paizo could publish a Pathfinder CRPG...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

Bannor Bloodfist wrote...

...4e rules while offering some simplifications, are likely to change before much longer anyway, and maybe the next set will be more to our liking... though doubtful at this stage of things.

WotC is following the same trend that other large gaming companies like Games Workshop have pioneered - create a new edition every few years, state that the old edition will be compatible then make the old edition obsolete, and soak the consumer for more money. Furthermore, each new edition gets "dummied" down even more than the last, promises a consolidation into less products but winds up becoming more products, and fails to deliver anywhere near the quality of the previous edition.

In reality they are just catering to the buying trends that dominate - everyone wants the latest and greatest. If its more than five years old its "dated" and not worth consuming. Nevermind quality - lets just deliver quantity, tag it with a brand label, and overcharge the masses.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Pstemarie, 18 août 2011 - 05:38 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Androrc]

               They aren't just catering to the buying trends that dominate - they're going further than that, and have taken thorough effort to bury 3rd edition, by cancelling the possibility of (already in existence) 3rd party d20-license books from selling and by taking off all of their 3rd edition and previous pdfs from sale online.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               I wonder how soon before they sue Paizo over Pathfinder...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Malagant]

               

Bannor Bloodfist wrote...

4e rules while offering some simplifications, are likely to change before much longer anyway, and maybe the next set will be more to our liking... though doubtful at this stage of things.

I think we're already seeing this with the 4e Essentials line. While they claim it provides "simple player character options intended for first-time players," it contains revisions to the ruleset compiled over the past two years. It feels more like a marketing strategy attempting to avoid using the term 4.5.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               

Pstemarie wrote...

I wonder how soon before they sue Paizo over Pathfinder...

I think it is far too late for that, now.

If they were going to, they should have done it before, when Pathfinder first got started...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               Well...it is never too late...

They should have sued Atari when NWN was released...instead of like, many years after...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               Hasbro sued Atari due to a totally different set of circumstances (it was not centered around the NWN created by Bioware, but as I understand it, it had something to do with the NWN MMORG that was being created).

It would be all but impossible for Hasbro to sue Bioware now over NWN...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Malagant]

               

WebShaman wrote...

Hasbro sued Atari due to a totally different set of circumstances (it was not centered around the NWN created by Bioware, but as I understand it, it had something to do with the NWN MMORG that was being created).

It would be all but impossible for Hasbro to sue Bioware now over NWN...

The short of it was that Atari sub-licensed D&D rights out to Namco-Bandai, who purchaced Atari's European distribution wing. Hasbro considers Namco-Bandai to be a direct competitor and claimed their contract with Atari forbade any such licensing.

I believe the MMO issue was a separate issue where Turbine sued Atari over D&DO claiming Atari failed to maintain their obligations as publisher of the game and had to step in as publisher in North America, costing them millions of dollars. That one was more complicated.

I don't recall any suits over Neverwinter (the MMORPG) or involving Cryptic.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               ^ yeah, that was it.

Nothing remotely to do with the NWN that we all know and love, from Bioware (pre-EA).
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Drewskie]

               I'd be happy if they simply undid Atari's damage and restarted the premium mod program.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               

Drewskie wrote...

I'd be happy if they simply undid Atari's damage and restarted the premium mod program.

That, unfortunately, will never happen.  Hasbro (WotC) will never allow it, simply because it is 3rd Ed and not 4th Ed.