Activision has proved itself a bunch of total dicks. Apparently now that Brutal Legend is racking up acclaim and loads of "Best of E3" nominations from websites (and will probably win a few) because EA actually bothered to promote the game widely (I have never loved EA so much, jesus), Activision decides to sue Double Fine.
For those of you who don't know the story, last year, during the monster Activision-Vivendi merger, Brutal Legend was lost in the fray (along with the Ghostbusters game, which Atari picked up) as they declined to pick it up from Sierra, which is part of Vivendi, instead choosing such surefire games as The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Yeah. EA then picked it up at the end of last year, causing joy to gamers everywhere.
Apparently in February (although this passed me by at the time) talks started surfacing that Activision wanted money as they thought they still owned the rights. They didn't actually want to publish the game, though, they just thought they had paid 15 million for it and wanted it back. Double Fine felt it still had the rights, and apparently an EA rep said something to the effect that they doubted Activision would sue "as it would be like a husband abandoning his family and then suing his wife when she meets a better looking guy".
In the new reports it seems unclear whether Activision still just wants the money, or if now that more interest has been stirred up in the game they want to publish it. They still want their 15 million, though, and also say Double Fine failed to deliver the game on time and requested nine more months and 7 million more dollars.
Activison's public reputation hasn't been doing so hot lately anyway - remember that infamous quote about not picking up the games because they couldn't be "exploited" with yearly franchise updates? - so I guess they just decided, fuck it, let's go for it. The only response I've seen so far: via Brutal Legend's Twitter (which I think is mostly just Tim Schafer): 'Re: today's bummer news...in the words of the inimitable Ms. Beyonce Knowles, "If you liked it you shoulda put a ring on it."'
Somebody go destroy Activision's E3 booth in a blind rage. Either that, or boycott the booth entirely. Do something, because as uncool of them as it was to drop it in the first place, it's unbelievable to see them sue now.
