R.I.P. Shadowrun Online

It looks like the game that got shut down was in development by a small game development company trying to make money/attention off someone else's IP. I would expect most companies object to that.
 
You know Chris, steppin back and looking at the situation I am curious if Microsoft even has the right to shut down the SRO website. The reason I say that is because while they have voiced a hope of providing a game they are not actually suplying the public with a game at this time. Their website clearly states that it is in hopes of proposing a feasable proposition to Microsoft. While it may not be the best move for them to not listen to Microsoft and if it is clear that Microsoft is never going to back them then what is the point anyways but my point is I don't believe that Microsoft can just demand all the info and such because technicaly it is still private at this point.
 
No, it's not. A company can't just advertise that they're working on a game using someone else's property. The owner of the franchise is certainly able to demand that they stop and has legal options if they don't.
 
rapier jockey said:
You know Chris, steppin back and looking at the situation I am curious if Microsoft even has the right to shut down the SRO website. The reason I say that is because while they have voiced a hope of providing a game they are not actually suplying the public with a game at this time. Their website clearly states that it is in hopes of proposing a feasable proposition to Microsoft. While it may not be the best move for them to not listen to Microsoft and if it is clear that Microsoft is never going to back them then what is the point anyways but my point is I don't believe that Microsoft can just demand all the info and such because technicaly it is still private at this point.
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Microsoft's Shadowrun game is coming out 2 months from now, and you're mad that they closed these guys down for making a game under a license they own? Where is your logic for that?
 
Sarty said:
Microsoft's Shadowrun game is coming out 2 months from now, and you're mad that they closed these guys down for making a game under a license they own? Where is your logic for that?
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Yea..I shouldve known!
What a way to deal a serious blow to Shadowrun fans by turning it into a mindless FPS!
 
What does that have to do with Microsoft putting a stop to someone else infringing on their series?
 
I read through those forums a bit and I found out that those guys had actually been in contact with Microsoft for a while, trying to get Microsoft to pick up their Shadowrun MMO. In the end Microsoft decided not to make a Shadowrun MMO, so they told these guys to shut down the project. What exactly is the problem here?
 
Sarty said:
I read through those forums a bit and I found out that those guys had actually been in contact with Microsoft for a while, trying to get Microsoft to pick up their Shadowrun MMO. In the end Microsoft decided not to make a Shadowrun MMO, so they told these guys to shut down the project. What exactly is the problem here?
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It's The Man putting down the little people! Pitchforks and torches time!

:rolleyes:

Or at least that's what it looks like if you (generic "you") buy into the Animal Farm-ish idiocy of "big corporation bad, small developer good", and have turned off your brain.
 
I thought Animal Farm was about Marx, communism, the Revolution of 1917, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin.

But yes, MS has all the right to shut the site down. A fan-made game (like all those we talk about here) is quite different from a COMPANY making a COMMERCIAL product that they intend to sell.

I'm also kinda disappointed with the new SR game being a Counter-Strike-like game (with MAGIC!), but I guess we should wait and see. Just like I'm doing with Arena.
 
Most importantly, the thing that people seem to forget is that copyright laws are designed to protect everyone, without exception. In this case, it's great big Microsoft asking some tiny little group not to abuse their copyrights. That might seem like Microsoft is throwing their weight around - but the purpose of this whole exercise is that, thanks to these laws, that tiny little group has the right to develop their own franchise without having to worry about great big Microsoft stealing it from them. On the other hand, if Microsoft would not be allowed to intervene in this case... then it's only fair that in a reverse situation, that tiny company would also have to sit and watch as Microsoft develops a title based on what they thought was their property.
 
rapier jockey said:
What a way to deal a serious blow to Shadowrun fans by turning it into a mindless FPS!
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I hope you're not typical to the Shadowrun community.

That said - how do you know if its a "mindless FPS" if you haven't played it? Yeesh.
 
I hope you're not typical to the Shadowrun community.
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I imagine he is. People don't form opinions like this on their own -- it's part of the cynical group-think that rots through everywhere on the internet. A new video game in my favorite universe? How awful!
 
Yeah, I think it would be awesome if someone made a "mindless FPS" Wing Commander spinoff. Think about all the new awesome stuff we would learn about ground warfare in the 27. century!

It's really strange that most people don't seem to look at different kinds of games set in "their" universes that way.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
I imagine he is. People don't form opinions like this on their own -- it's part of the cynical group-think that rots through everywhere on the internet.
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I'm trying to have a somewhat hopeful outlook here. I have fond memories watching my friend play Shadowrun on the Genesis and the RPG book I have was fun to read.

You are right though. On another forum, I tried to point out to people how the internet fanbase's "conspiracy" is what sunk Star Trek after someone was pissing about Rick Berman's forthcoming biography and everyone came at me about how dare I discredit someone else's opinion.

Whats the saying? "If you tell people they're thinking, they'll love you. If you make people actually think, they'll hate you"?
 
I don't believe that MS owns the Shadowrun label, only that they own the rights to game options.

What seems to have happened is not unlike a third-party company making a Star Wars game without the approval of Lucas Licensing .
 
MS bought FASA Interactive, so they do wholly own the Crimson Skies IP...

AFAIK, The Shadowrun pen & paper IP went to Wizkids, which then licensed the P&P RPG games to another publisher, so you're kinda right, because it's more akin to a third party buying Lucas Arts from George Lucas... I don't know what's the extent of Microsoft's ownership of the video and computer gaming properties.
 
Also, it's trademarks that need to be defended or else they're lost, not copyrights. Copyright exists for the entirety of its legal lifepsan (author's life+70, in the US) regardless of whether or not it's defended.
 
Indeed, it would be pretty weird if it was otherwise - after all, how could a dead author defend his copyrights for another 70 years? :)
 
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