D&D video games license to Infrogames extended til 2017

[SteveC]

Wow. Consider this one a real head scratcher. Infogrames has been terrible with the license, and D&D is such a strong product to make PC/console games with. Imagine the thought of Squaresoft doing the Final Fantasy treatment of D&D. That game could be a harbinger of the apocalypse.

And a ten year license? That's unheard of! I don't have the faintest idea what platforms I'm going to be gaming on in ten years.

I wonder if the negotiators for this one are the same group that came up with the Gleemax name.

--Steve

 

[Ranger REG]

Doubtful, as Infogrames is a French company. The French government is very likely to loan them money to keep them afloat indefinitely, no matter how much they screw up.

French money means French influence.

Makes you wonder.

 

[Relique du Madde]

HA! This announcement proves that Blizzard has infiltrated WoTC Hasbro and is actively destroying any hope of DnD:OL ever being able to compete against WoW.

 

[I'm A Banana]

.....

DAMMIT! I WANT A GOOD D&D GAME!

*cries*

Who do I need to beat the stuffing outta over at WotC to make them realize Atari knows how to make mud?

 

[Glyfair]

How could anyone think it would be a good idea to sign away exclusive rights for a valuable intellectual property for 10 years, in the realm of computers and consoles. 10 years is a bloody eternity in the gaming world. Cripes, 10 years ago, StarCraft hadn't even come out.

10 years? It was signed away for quite a while. This "extension" is only for about 2 years, not that big of a deal. Before this they had the rights until 2015, 10 years from 2005 when the last deal was made.

In fact, all of Hasbro's software rights were sold. A few years ago Hasbro bought back the rights to most of the games (read here), and left them with the D&D rights and the rights for a few of their games (the other games were only 7 years).

I think all there negotiations have made it clear that Hasbro either doesn't consider the D&D brand to be "valuable" or that they feel this deal is worth it. More than likely they are using it as a bargaining chip to keep the relationship going while keeping (and earlier regaining) control of their valuable brands.

In fact, the deal in 2005 had them regain the Transformers license, which is much more valuable now that D&D probably ever has been (in the software world). They also regained the MtG license.

 

[Nepenthe]

Doubtful, as Infogrames is a French company. The French government is very likely to loan them money to keep them afloat indefinitely, no matter how much they screw up.

Oh, the bitterness

(you do realise that they can't do that - they can try it, but they're already in trouble for doing it?)

 

[jeffh]

Infogrammes screws up everything they touch when it comes to the D&D licence... and WotC lets them have it for an additional two years instead of doing something halfways rational like trying to find a way to take it back early?!?

This is definitely a thread I would appreciate seeing some WotC people comment on, to whatever extent they legally can...

 

[jeffh]

Imagine the thought of Squaresoft doing the Final Fantasy treatment of D&D. That game could be a harbinger of the apocalypse.

Are you saying this would be good or bad?

Either way, it would be utterly different from anything we can expect from IG.

 

[TwinBahamut]

It is entirely possible that the D&D license just isn't very appealing to computer and video game companies. Other than the D&D name itself (and the D&D ruleset of course), there isn't a lot of valuable IPs in there. Elves and orcs are open to everyone, and even one of the big iconics of D&D, the Mind Flayer, has been freely used by Square since the very first Final Fantasy game. The core concept of D&D, a bunch of people going on an adventure in a fantastic world, is not exclusive to D&D at all. Unless a computer developer wants to make a game using the D&D rules (a questionable endeavor, really, and certainly not necessary), then the D&D brand name is useless. It might be the worst kind of license for a game developer. Sure, settings like the Forgotten Realms have proven to be valuable, but I don't think that is equated with the value of the D&D brand.

 

[Nepenthe]

Sure, settings like the Forgotten Realms have proven to be valuable, but I don't think that is equated with the value of the D&D brand.

But since the settings have been tied to the D&D license, I kind of fail to see what you're aiming for here? :\