Korean MMO publisher Webzen has filed a lawsuit against Red 5 Studios claiming that the developer breached a contract for the online shooter FireFall. Last month the developer filed for arbitration in a California court claiming that Webzen's new management failed to properly market the game - a provision in the original contract.
"We do not feel the new management of Webzen has honored their obligations towards Firefall, particularly in Asia," wrote CEO Mark Kern in an open letter published on the game's official forum. "The current management of Webzen is a stark contrast to the original CEO and executives who were once so excited to work with us on the game."
"We regret that Webzen's actions, or lack of actions, are causing undue stress among Firefall fans in Asia and elsewhere. By seeking a termination of the agreement, we hope we can find a better way to ensure that Firefall reaches everybody in Asia in the manner that gamers deserve."
Webzen's new lawsuit targets Red 5's Korean office, claiming in court a number of delays and breaches of its publishing contract over the game's 5 years of development, despite the publisher investing nearly $25 million.
"We have been preparing to reveal [the details] at G-star 2011, but we heard Red 5 Korea is trying to attend G-star 2011 independently with FireFall," a Webzen representative told the Korean site ThisIsGame. "So we decided to take a legal action."
Source: GI.biz
Comments
Re: Webzen Sues FireFall Developer
ok, so other than using up too much space, what harm is there in both the developer and publisher presenting the game?
Re: Webzen Sues FireFall Developer
The publisher makes their money marketing the game. So if the developer decides to market the game themselves (aka going indie in current nomeculture) then they can say to the publisher "we don't need you" and work to get out of paying them.