Atari Settles D&D Dispute, Delays Neverwinter Game

Neverwinter Nights, the online-focused RPG that was being developed by Atari’s Cryptic Studios, has been delayed. When Atari announced the PC role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter, it did so knowing that some bad results could be coming out of a court battle with Hasbro over the licensing rights to Dungeons and Dragons. While Hasbro and Atari seemed to have settled their dispute today, the company also announced that its latest D&D-branded game would be delayed.

The game was delayed, not because of the legal actions, but because the publisher sold the game's developer, Cryptic Studios, to Perfect World Entertainment. Neverwinter was revealed in August of 2010 with a 2011 release date attached to it. 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.

Meanwhile, the settlement between Hasbro and Atari brings to an end a legal battle that had been going on since 2009. As part of the settlement agreement, Hasbro will regain control of the digital licensing rights to the Dungeons & Dragons franchise while Atari will still be able to sell and develop a selection of games under the license including its recently released Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale and the upcoming Facebook game Heroes of Neverwinter. Further terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Source: GameSpot