Sawyer vs. Atari...Re: RCT Profits!

Here's the link to the story:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-1862668,00.html

And a copy of the story text:

DO NOT post copyrighted articles here... that's why we link to them. -J
*** Edited 11/10/2005 5:43:34 AM UTC by Jeff***

Sounds like Atari need to release a bugfix for their accounting packages ;)

I mean... I can totally understand why he's upset... I mean.. only 30 million dollars.... GEEZ!!!

;)

I know what you mean Corksrewy, but maybe he is doing this just to show Atari that they can't screw him over and get away with it(but the money would be nice).

A contract is a contract. It has nothing to do with what is "enough." Would you settle for anything less than what you were promised in a job?

I don't know guys, $4.8 million is still a lot of money. :)

If I were to win that amount playing the state lottery, I'd sh*t my pants. But of course, to people like Sawyer that have a net worth exceeding $30 million, that's like us "ordinary income" people not getting $5 in change after purchasing something at Walmart. And I am going to get my $5 in change back damnit!

Maybe he wants to build his own coaster. It'd be a lot easier to do with 30 million ;)

Not quite like 'getting the wrong change at Wal-Mart', and more like 'I did all this work, set up a multi million dollar product, and they took it over, ruined it, and payed me less than half for it than I was contracted to recieve'.

It has less, for me, to do with the money, than the principle. If someone owed me 1 Billion Dollars, and only gave me 500 mill, I wouldn't need the other 500 mill, but not giving it to me is STEALING...

Heck, I'd sue them just for the crappy game and ruining the series if it was my game. ;) IGN Also has an atricle Here! It's about time he sued them anyways. :) Finally some real legal action from the man of it all Chris Sawyer!

As jeff said: a contract is a contract. Go Get 'em, Chris!
Maybe that's why RCT3 is so damn frustrating. Maybe he only had a RCT 1 - 3 clause or something where he's only obligated to let atari have three versions of it. Killing the brand name could hurt Chris in the future: perhaps.

Not always, Chris could always drop Atari...after all he is the owner of all 3 series...he could always go after another company when they design a much better RCT4! ;) Heck with 5 million...and 30 million for RCT3...he could do just about anything.

This type of accounting 'error' on royalties happens all the time, and these type of suits happen all the time and are usually resolved quite amicably. Same thing happened to Peter Jackson on LOTR, the same thing has happened to my company before with people who distribute our films. Any sort of royalty arrangement is ripe for accounting funny business, so with-it licensors keep on top of it via auditing the records of the licensees.

Maybe now he'll do RCT4...

Step 1: Make a video game.
Step 2: ?
Step 3: Profit!

Hysterical, John! :)

RCT gnomes? So that's where all the good scenarios went.

ooo! ;) RCT4...RCT4...RCT4...Go Chris Sawyer!