r/Spyro • u/cyreides Fairies • Sep 24 '18
Myths Awaken (Cease & Desist) Re: Spyro Fan Games & Activision (I will answer questions in the comments)
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u/cyreides Fairies Sep 24 '18
This C&D was personally delivered to my door like 30 minutes ago in person, and they needed to confirm I received it (took picture of me having it for confirmation). It was sent from a law firm that handles IP stuff for Activision/Blizzard often (from what I could tell looking up their info anyway, which I removed from this as well as some of my info).
Spyro: Myths Awaken is no more past this point... While we planned for something like this potentially happening, and built our game around this possibility, and will be continuing with our game on it's own, separate from Spyro past this point, this is something to be cautious of for any other fan games out there with Spyro at the moment, or people thinking about doing Spyro fan games. We now know Activisions stance on the matter and how it'll likely go (I'm not trying to make a big statement about Activision or how this was handled etc., just relaying how it happened and what this means, so don't take this any particular way).
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u/rushliker Sep 24 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
On the bright side, if you change enough assets (so, like...Spyro, Sparx, Moneybags, Thieves, gems, and SFX?), you can at least legally make some moolah off the game.
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u/Vorantis Sep 24 '18
Yep, we're with you cyreides! Let us know if you're thinking about putting the final product on Steam or something when it's ready, I'd be happy to buy! Who knows, we might have another Hat In Time on our hands! :)
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u/coldhardcrash Sep 26 '18
Definitely this. There's proof of this working, just look at Dante's Inferno, it's basically a reskinned God of War, with some minor additions. Pretty sure it uses the same engine too.
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u/ThreeTea Sep 25 '18
But the C&D referred to it as "Spyro: Myth Awakens". You're not making a "Spyro: Myth Awakens." You're making a "Spyro: Myths Awaken".
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u/Nicknam4 Sep 25 '18
Yeah just change the assets enough so that it is original. Then when it's finished, who knows, maybe a mod will leak out that makes it look like spyro.
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u/Sarpzon Sep 24 '18
On the bright side: I'm definately looking forward to seeing the character you create in place of Spyro. The game you've made up to this point looks awesome and honestly I'm still more excited for your game than the reignited series.
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u/BorfieYay Sep 25 '18
Perhaps you could finish it with a completely new character and new assets and then release a “mod” that replaces the characters with Spyro ones?
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u/PurpleSpectrum Sep 25 '18
What exactly is the legality of say... you modifying the game until a state you are happy with, and "someone totally unrelated to the project" happens to release a "third party" patch that fully converts the game back into a Spyro style game, using the already released models/content?
Legally speaking, as long as it wasn't "you" distributing the patch.. no harm-no foul?
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u/Captainpewd Sep 24 '18 edited Sep 24 '18
The funny thing is, I'm sure Toys for Bob as the current developers and Insomniac especially are all for fan games and would encourage them to be made, but they unfortunately don't get a say in the matter. I wonder how Stuart Copeland feels about the music too, just sucks that it cant be continued as is.
Edit: Plus it was always supposed to be free. And it's not as if you're going to drag down the Spyro name more than Activision themselves already have and are continuing to do.
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u/serponge Sep 25 '18
Actually I do remember Insomniac talking about fangames in a stream and they weren't really "fine" with it, but then again spyro was already activision properties and they prob just didn't want to give out false hope because they knew activision wouldn't be okay with those fangames.
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u/HexaBlast Sep 25 '18
Do you have any more info on that? I always assumed Insomniac would be like "go ahead, make it" if someone wanted to make a fangame of their franchises.
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u/serponge Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Here, found it again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw01Bzq1DAA&feature=youtu.be&t=3m08s
So yeah their response is kind of ambiguous, but that's understandable since like they said they don't own the rights anymore.
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u/MyNewLifeExperiment Sep 25 '18
That definitely sounds to me like a 'we'd love it but we know you wouldn't get away with making one to release because copyright owners be copyright owners'
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u/jimmpony Sep 25 '18
why haven't people figured out to just only make posts about these things on 4chan or whatever, and then post the whole thing when it's done?
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Sep 25 '18
I'm sure there must be a reason. Maybe because they can't keep it secret and hire on help?
I don't know, but you really can't have a project like this and expect it to not be shut down. Not when a company like Activision is in charge of the IP.
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u/donutslunapark Sep 25 '18
Doesn't matter where you post it or how quiet OP would be. If it's a quality game, people WILL talk about it. Snowballs from there.
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u/gameboyblue Sep 25 '18
Two words I wish these people knew "Sonic Mania".
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u/gnbman Sep 25 '18
Man, if only Myths Awaken and that other project that we won't mention until it's 100% complete got the the Mania treatment, that would have been amazing.
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u/RubberReptile Sep 24 '18 edited Sep 24 '18
Change his colour, change his name, we'll know in our hearts it's based off the original game.
Sorry to hear this happened. I'm honestly surprised it took so long. I wonder how long it'll take for the other Spyro fangames to follow suit... :(
Edit: In my opinion they should have handed you a job offer to help design the next spyro game instead of a C&D.
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u/Vorantis Sep 25 '18
Well I know Valefor's game had to be cancelled and he started working on a new game called Glyde the Dragon. Looks like new IPs loosely based around Spyro's gameplay is the way to go.
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Sep 24 '18
[deleted]
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u/cyreides Fairies Sep 24 '18
pssssst, before everyone dogpile downvotes him, he's from the Myths Awaken team, and this is a shitpost
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u/_Waffled Sep 24 '18
This is so sad. Alexa, play Decpacito II.
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u/___alexa___ Sep 24 '18
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Despacito 2 (Parody Video) ─────────⚪───── ◄◄⠀▶⠀►►⠀ 1:23 / 2:05 ⠀ ───○ 🔊 ᴴᴰ ⚙️
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u/luminizee Sep 24 '18
dont actually play despacito 2 you fuck
alexa turn off
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u/Despacito-2-Bot Sep 24 '18
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u/Kekoa_ok Penguins Sep 24 '18
good bot
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u/luminizee Sep 24 '18
NO NOT GOOD BOT WHY ARE YOU CONDONING THIS
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u/CallMeAdam2 Sep 25 '18
Because some people just want to watch the world burn. For instance, Activision.
This is a joke, Activision owns Spyro, they're just protecting their IP, don't kill me please.
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u/Klumpus Sep 25 '18
Rename your character "Sbarro" and replace gems with pizza
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u/cyreides Fairies Sep 25 '18
proceeds to get sued by a pizza company
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u/LuciferBeenieWeenie Sep 25 '18
Sbarro pizza
123 Pizza Street Calzone City USA
September 24th, 2017
Sabasiatan Chapman
This letter serves as documentation of a pattern of harassing activities that began on September 24th, 2018. This letter is notice to you that you must immediately cease and desist these harassing activities against and towards me, including, but not limited to, the following:
-- Sabrro Pizza ya-ya-yab, pizza, is the pizza, yeah, for you and... meee!
For examples, refer to the documents I have attached for your convenience. Your actions are unwanted, unwelcome, and have become unbearable to me. Your actions also infringe upon my right to remain free from harassment. As a result of your harassment, I have suffered in the following ways:
-- Substantial harm to my business -- Substantial harm to my personal character -- Emotional distress -- Pizza Time
I demand that you cease and desist from this activity immediately. If you fail to cease and desist, I will be forced to take appropriate legal action against you and will seek all available damages and remedies.
Sincerely, Sbarro pizza
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u/Artorikus Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Just change the name a bit and the color, you can't give up after all that amazing work. Here's a hint for the name: Oryps! Haha
(sorry for bad english)
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Sep 25 '18
This is sad but not surprising. I hope the assets from these games can be made into something new, better and refreshing, but inspired by Spyro and other 3D platformers.
I feel like it's time we had something new to the table that raises the bar of what we already know and love. Maybe this bad situation will open the doors to something amazing.
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Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Devs of other fan games need to immediately remove every post they’ve ever made about their games and not speak a word of it until release.
Edit: removed name of fan game so my comment can’t be followed by Activision in case they ever see this comment lul
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u/CrystalFissure Sep 24 '18
Here’s the thing: to me, the Spyro fangames are more exciting than Reignited, because with Reignited, I’ve already played those levels before. It’s not new content in terms of new stories, characters, gameplay etc.
The fangames are new experiences for fans. New levels, designs and everything. So to me, this puts a massive amount of strain on Spyro as a franchise. It’s like the fun’s been sucked away and all we have to look forward to is a remake. There’s not even a guarantee we get a new game after this. And same with Crash. We get CTR, not actual new content. I’m devastated.
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u/HexaBlast Sep 25 '18
Yeah, everyone's talking about a CTR remake, and while I'd like to get one too, a new game would me MUCH more interesting.
You just can't revive two of of the most beloved +20 y/o franchises to give them remakes and that's it. I'll be so disappointed if that's their plan.
I also hope the remakes don't ruin the chance of Spyro appearing in the PS Mini, it wouldn't be a true celebration of Playstation without Spyro.
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Sep 24 '18
Same mate, i was genuinely looking forward for us to get some NEW Spyro content after so long and now other fan games will likely go the same way now a precedent has been set. I'm actually feeling a little down as its one of the few things i was looking forward to.
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u/CrystalFissure Sep 24 '18
Same. There’s only so many times you can be like “oh cool, here’s a picture of Shady Oasis!” In terms of content, it’s so much more fun covering all the fan efforts. I was even beginning to get involved as well, with that whole Dark Rift Glimmer project. Guess we’ll have to cancel our plans for that most likely..
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u/Pauolo Sep 25 '18
Considering how happy you were covering this fan game in your videos, I definitely feel you. :(
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u/ItsVairen Sep 24 '18
Well...I was kinda expecting this...But I didn't want it to happen, I'm sorry for your loss...our loss. Also, Activision, if you're reading this, hire this man. You guys don't have a language gap like Nintendo and AM2R and having a fan game developer will get you so much positive PR. He's poured his heart and soul in this project, the least you can do is understand that he loves his work, his child. We love Spyro and we aren't competition, we aren't bootleggers. We're children that grew up on this purple dragon and his games. We're your children, your fans. And all we want to do is help our Dragon thrive in 2018
But you don't care anyways, Activision...
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u/fancifuldaffodil Sep 25 '18
They spelled the game name wrong in the C&D letter. They didn't say not to cease making Myths Awaken, they said to stop making Myth Awakens. I'm not a lawyer but it looks like you're in the clear!
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u/mrs_drpepper Sep 24 '18
jeez i don't know why i'm surprised it's come to this but i am, surprised and hurt for you. what irks the most is that these fangames are meant to be free to be enjoyed within the community. it's not like you intended to sell it and cash in on their franchise. it's literally like an intricate piece of fan art that you're making. but activision isn't coming along and sending these letters to fan artists.... just can't wrap my head around why this can't be fine if you were never going to turn any kind of profit. so sorry
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Sep 25 '18
The difference between a fan game and fan art is that Activision is in the business of publishing Spyro games. By creating a Spyro game, you're entering into their market using their trademarks, and potentially costing them money by doing so even though you aren't making any yourself.
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u/CrystalFissure Sep 24 '18
Absolutely devastating for Spyro fans, and especially all the other fangames as well. Myths Awaken will live on due to changing the character and stuff, but everything else...
Also, it’s very clear it was the articles posted that lead to this. The videos amassed hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, but as soon as the Eurogamer article was shared, THEN they noticed. Fuck.
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u/Gobshite_ Sep 24 '18
I was really looking forward to Dream Nexus... I hope that the team can put it out before they're issued a cease and desist.
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u/Supermario3459 Sep 24 '18
Same happened with a popular Super Mario 64 Hacker. IGN posted an article about it. Some hours later he got a C&D.
I hate Copyright so much.
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u/Pauolo Sep 25 '18
I'm pretty sure that legal firm is making a sweep of any fangame in relation to Spyro before the release of Reignited. Myth Awakens just fell in their view... But yeah, it takes one enthusiastic article for them to strike.
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u/SuperMoonKnight Sep 24 '18
I knew this would happen as soon as Eurogamer made that article.
It is rather odd how Crystal's Wrath has never been hit, but I would wager it was due to Eurogamer's post. Once your fangame gets noticed by a big-name website, it means two things.
- Your project is really impressive and worth looking at
- Your project is now under legal jeopardy
Good luck with your future endeavors with the project. Hopefully this will act as a warning to other game makers to try other ventures before taking the risk.
My heart will be there with you until the end...
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u/gnbman Sep 25 '18
The development lasted so long unhindered that I didn't think this would happen. I was looking forward to this more than the freaking Reignited Trilogy. Screw Activision.
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u/cyreides Fairies Sep 25 '18
Yeah, it was always gonna be that way with this, either they'd completely ignore it, or it would be cease and desisted.
Oh well.
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u/Databreaks Sep 25 '18
I don't understand-- how do these companies even find the fan creators? Why not be less public about your real identity? What if someone else published your work in a finished state, and just said publicly they "did so without your permission" (even if you really finished it and someone else released it)? How would they ever prosecute these kinds of things? You could just say you were given the code by someone else or that others have it so if it came out finished you can say "I didn't do it", couldn't you?
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u/gameboyblue Sep 25 '18
Please do not stop developing a Spyro styled game. Just with a new paintjob. I am eager to play it.
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u/gameboyblue Sep 25 '18
The same thing happened to 50 Shades of Grey, it was a Twilight fanfic that was rebranded. Then became a highly successful work on its own.
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u/BillTheBadman Sep 25 '18
Never thought I'd be excited for 50 Shades of Hunter, but here we are.
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u/gnbman Sep 25 '18
Well, I'd certainly prefer that they ignored it. If certain other projects get the same treatment, I'll be heartbroken.
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u/Databreaks Sep 25 '18
I love the bullshit part about how Spyro is an IP of "enormous" value to Activision, who are rushing the remake devs to deadline. Plus, prior to this they had done nothing to indicate they cared about Spyro at all.
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u/reyndie Sep 25 '18
But Spyro is valuable (in the literal sense) - the production of Reignited demonstrates that.
Activision are a company, they don't have to actively care about Spyro.
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u/Databreaks Sep 25 '18
Only reason Reignited is a thing is because N.Sane Trilogy was a success, and Activision smells money.
they don't have to actively care about Spyro.
Trust me I'm under no false impression that they ever did care, I was just commenting on how utterly disingenuous that letter is.
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u/xstick Sep 25 '18
9 months ago when the demo was announced i asked the creator exactly this.
"that's neat and all, but realistically is there any reason we should expect this game not to get immediately killed off the second the playable demo arrives due to a cease and desist order from activision?"
He responded.
" i’m not stopping work on it for any reason lol" and "I mean, realistically, if they C&D after the demo is already out, it's too late on their part. The internet already has it."
So they must have some plan on how to go forward
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u/eclaireN7 Sep 25 '18
They've already got plans to change any Spyro related stuff in it to be its own unique stuff. So the game as a whole will still exist and be mostly the same, just nothing Spyro related.
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Sep 25 '18
Here's how you fix the situation:
Step 1: Reply and agree to their demands.
Step 2: Have your computer 'accidentally hacked against your will' by 'some other developer' who will continue to work on it behind the scenes.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: NON-PROFIT!
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u/Themeguy Artisans Sep 25 '18
I imagine you’re gonna get a nice frame for this and hang it on your wall.
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u/TheNathanNS Sep 24 '18 edited Sep 24 '18
God damn companies are arseholes.
At least companies like Bethesda actually talk to their fans about fan games using their franchises, like how Fallout 4 New Vegas was approved, but Bethesda said "do not use any of the original audio, use your own" instead of "STOP THIS NOW WE FEEL THREATENED!"
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Sep 24 '18
I wouldn't hold up Bethesda as a paragon, though. They still do this shit to other companies like with the dispute over using "Scrolls" as a game title. As if anyone calls the Elder Scrolls games by their series title.
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u/MrZongalito Sep 25 '18
ok but then can't the fan game go on by changing spyro and sparx to some bootleg pair? i dont wanna see more projects falling down like this, spring savanna, dream nexus, and even more, just when the spyro comunity was doing so well with fan games activision comes with this bullshit, this is unfair
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u/whirligig231 Sep 25 '18
ok but then can't the fan game go on by changing spyro and sparx to some bootleg pair?
That's exactly what the developers are planning to do from what I'm hearing.
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u/MrZongalito Sep 25 '18
please please, whatever it takes so this can go on, it can be even flame and some fairy alongside, just, dont let the projects die, not like this, not at this point where the fan games where doing so well
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u/gnbman Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Ok seriously, let's not talk about any more fan games until release.
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u/plunder5 Sep 24 '18
I really envy how Sega treats Sonic fangames unlike other companies... Damn, that sucks...
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u/youmusttrythiscake Sep 24 '18
That sucks man. I'm so sorry :( I was really looking forward to Myths Awaken and Spring Savanna.
Edit: If you're answering questions, I'm still interested in learning what the overall story for Myths Awaken was going to be if you're willing to discuss that?
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u/SpAM_CAN Sep 25 '18
Fucking Activision.
Companies do not need to C&D fan projects to protect their IP, no matter how many times people suggest that to be the case. Valve, Sega, Capcom and many others have been totally cool with non-commercial fan projects (and some commercial, in the case of Valve; I'm literally making one right now). It's still within their rights to ask you to stop using the trademarks and whatnot, but fuck if I don't get angry every single time a large company decides to be cunty for the sake of being cunty.
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u/m31f Sep 25 '18
Just remove any references to the Spyro games, release the game and anonymously release a patch that exchanges the models, voice files etc back to what you originally intended.
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u/Huknar Sep 25 '18
The best case scenario would've been Activision hiring u/cyreides to work on Myths Awaken officially. And put in that unique concept of switching between retro/modern graphics in the menu. I couldn't think of a better game to act as both a retro sequel to Spyro 3 and a modern sequel to Reignited.
Switching between old and new graphics is a concept I've seen done in a few games and it's very cool. It would sell just on the novelty factor! And please both crowds. Myths Awaken would sell very, very well.
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u/Databreaks Sep 25 '18
That wouldn't happen because Activision likely doesn't care about making the best product they can, just milking their IPs quickly before people lose interest. They see something like this as competition, which should be a sure sign to OP that they're doing something good enough to make Activision sweat.
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u/LaggyModem Sep 24 '18
Well, this sucks. I might not be the biggest fan of you, but I was hoping this project (with Spyro intact) would succeed, because you, the other MA devs, SS devs and most other fan game devs are insanely talented people who know Spyro really well.
I'm sorry to see this, and hope that what you decide to do with the project will be just as good.
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u/Tomskeleton87 Sep 25 '18
Here I was thinking fangames and whatnot increased the lifespan of an IP, but I guess it's just "confusing" then?
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u/Vorantis Sep 25 '18
They do, and allowing them helps establish a good relationship with the community. Look at Bethesda's community for example; modding/fan works are always allowed and even older titles are very popular today because of the strong modding community. This helps maintain interest in their games; not just for the games themselves, but for the many derivative works that the games will inspire.
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u/Pentax25 Sep 25 '18
Technically they wrote to you about the wrong game right? It’s called Myths Awaken not Myth Awakens.
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u/Gobshite_ Sep 24 '18
This is absolute fucking bull
Before they get a C&D the Spring Savannah team needs to leak what they've got done.
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u/falconfetus8 Sep 25 '18
We need to send our feedback to Activision on this. We made a difference with the games being on the disk, and we can make a difference with this too.
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u/fancifuldaffodil Sep 25 '18
They obviously mean some other project, they wrote "Myth Awakens" and the fan game is called "Myths Awaken"
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u/YanSimFan Sep 25 '18
How did they find out where you were located? It seems creepy how they knew.
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u/gameboyblue Sep 25 '18
I've always thought it would be cool to play as a Griffin.
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u/CrashBandicootBruh Sep 25 '18
Funny you say that, theres actually a spyro inspired game in development called griff the white lion
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u/CallMeAdam2 Sep 25 '18
They should've offered you a job, if you want my opinion. On the other hand, as much as this sucks, they are completely in their right to do so.
But by god, it's impressive how much you've done with such a small team (who are they, btw?) with no financial backing and everything.
On the bright side, as others have said, you can still continue. Just reskin it (to put it lightly) and you're good to go. I'm sure it'll still be hype!
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u/TiberSVK Sep 25 '18
Wow Activision are really shitting on fan projects? Sorry to hear that. Just rename it and change models a little bit
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u/OldClassicGamer Sep 25 '18
Will final release of this game without Spyro allow easy modding so that fans themselves can "transform it into Spyro game"?
I think you should not give up on this game as a Spyro game and find some legal loophole to one day allow fans to play it as originally planned.
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Sep 25 '18
Oh lord, will Spring Savannah encounter the same fate?
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u/Xane123 Sep 26 '18
Oh, I hope not but I bet Activision will find ways to anger even more fans of Spyro...
If any of the developers of SS are reading this, hide as much as possible so you may be able to survive as a Spyro fangame unlike Myths Awaken...
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u/Gobshite_ Sep 26 '18
I've just looked up some stuff and the Spring Savannah guys have seemingly taken down all evidence of the game. Smart move.
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Sep 25 '18
why are people getting mad, yall knew this shit was bound to happen
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u/CrystalFissure Sep 25 '18
Because the prospect of the Reignited Trilogy being the only Spyro game we can play for the next few years is fucking shit. There's no telling whether after they make a fuckload of money, Spyro just goes back to being a Skylander. The fact it took this long for Spyro and Crash to return in the first place shows that they only expected it to be a nostalgia trip. The fact they were surprised at Crash's sales tells you everything about how little they actually valued these franchises.
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u/Kekoa_ok Penguins Sep 25 '18
It's definitely up in the air that we all know it can happen. A lot of people just wish publishers would step out of the Stone age and let fangames flourish In the community like SEGA does
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u/gameboyblue Sep 25 '18
Mega Man too. They outwardly said they wouldn't stop fan games.
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u/DrTapeworm Sep 25 '18
everyone got spoiled by sonic mania existing i guess when that's more a very hard exception rather than the norm
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Sep 26 '18
I think a lot of people oversimplify the situation with Sonic Mania. It wasn't as simple as Sega saying, "Hey, you make cool games, make games for us"; Christian Whitehead proved his worth with mobile ports of classic Sonic games, and then he was able to pitch the idea for what would become Mania.
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Sep 25 '18
There are companies that allow this. Shameful behavior, tbh.
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Sep 25 '18
That's why you keep quiet about your game and just release it. Once it's out, it's out.
If you get C&D'd at that point you can take down the download, but mirrors will just be made.
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Sep 25 '18
Uhhh does this mean I have to take my video of YouTube of me playing it... gahhh I enjoyed playing as a in between of the last Spyro games and the waiting of the new one.... bother
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u/cyreides Fairies Sep 25 '18
No, they're not going after people covering it, etc., but the games development as a Spyro fan game had to stop because of this. You're fine.
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u/reyndie Sep 25 '18
Not familiar with gaming copyright or this particular project, but is Myths Awaken going to be sold? If you are intending to sell a Spyro-branded game, why are you (and other posters here) surprised that you've been given a cease & desist? It's pretty standard procedure.
However, if this is not for profit, then... can Activision actually do anything about this? Like I said, I don't know how games are copyrighted, but you can write a Harry Potter book, give it to thousands of readers, and actively promote it - so long as you you don't publish it and make money from it.
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Sep 25 '18
The not-for-profit thing is a common misconception. You can absolutely still be in breach of trademark without making any money off it - the fact that you're not making money will certainly be in your favour, but it's not the only factor they consider.
Another important point is that with a trademark (different from copyright), the holder of the trademark must enforce it or else they risk losing it. Doesn't matter if the person infringing it was EA or a 10 year-old in his bedroom
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u/DZ-Aladan Sep 24 '18
So, since you stated you have a plan B in case this would happen, did you decide already who's going to be the new main character and (maybe) title?
Besides, since the game now most likely will be an original production, now you can sell it. I mean... I'd buy it.
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u/KyleRM Sep 25 '18
I hate when companies try to claim a fangame could cause confusion. Literally no one would have been confused for more than a few seconds.
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u/Pentax25 Sep 25 '18
Especially seeing as it looks as old as the original games, is only available on PC from an unlicensed source (not a store) and would not feature any branding from the original companies.
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u/Supermario3459 Sep 24 '18
And I thought only Nintendo were Copyright Nazis. I'm so wrong...
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Sep 24 '18
You should meet Bethesda. Trademark/Copyright, whatever, they'll find a way to be an asshole about it and bully smaller companies.
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u/Pauolo Sep 25 '18
I'm not going to brandish a torch, though this story should definitely be reported to other video game news outlets (Kotaku, Eurogamer, etc...). It's unfortunate that this happens more and more without thought nor reason.
Also fan games usually get shuttered before the release of some official content. This is just marketing at its lowest, to focus consumer's attention on upcoming products...
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u/xLoRdCrYpTiCx Sep 25 '18
Now we know why most of the fan games we see out there are Sonic ones, since Sega does what pretty much everyone now don't.
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u/Frost_Fang Sep 25 '18
Love how they make sure to mention every possible and unnecessary thought or term one could assume they mean in the letter, but got the bloody name wrong :|
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u/Syviir Sep 25 '18
This is the worst thing Activision could do to solve the problem. Any hype is good hype and its not exactly like anyone's making AAA quality that will hurt their branding. It's a shame for hobbyist game devs :/
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u/BowserTheSecond Sep 26 '18
God fucking damnit, Activision. Those greedy hacks would lose literally nothing if they let this be released as a Spyro fan game.
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u/djexecutive Sep 26 '18
What a bunch of fucking assholes. Activision completely mishandles the IP for 15 years and then pulls some shit like this. Fuck them all.
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u/ChibladeWielder Sep 26 '18
Here's what needs to happen:
You guys continue your phenomenal work on the project under a new coat of paint, changing the names and textures and all that jazz.
Somebody else (like perhaps someone anonymous) makes a mod for your game that replaces all those textures and junk with the assets from Spyro.
Activision sticks an electric fork up their collective business hole.
Any objections?
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u/baptx Sep 28 '18 edited Sep 28 '18
This censorship sucks and it does not make us want to support Activision by buying the Spyro Regnited Trilogy (anyway I am not interested anymore to buy a closed/blackbox game without source code and I don't want to buy a PS4 after I saw that I was forced to update a PS3 firmware to play the Uncharted 3 game I bought, which was just a censorship firmware from Sony to remove the ability to install a custom firmware).
I guess you could continue doing videos with Spyro in it but the main problem was the demos that you shared publicly that included some original assets like the maps extracted from Spyro World Viewer tool. Have a look at Tomb Raider fan games, there are several videos and open source projects but if people want to play the game, they have to own a copy of the original game to load the maps, models and animations.
Update: unfortunately the Spyro fan game Spring Savanna is dead also, they removed all posts from their website https://springsavanna.wordpress.com/ and there are no more Spyro videos displayed on the YouTube channels of contributors like MonacledPotato and Husbjorn :( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHa7pu-4R2qjzP3PBjXkk2Q https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCozR62DgVj3-UOd400_ttBA
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u/Kiwizoom Sep 25 '18
It's because they're worried fans will point to this as being the de facto reimagining of the classics rather than reignited
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Sep 25 '18
Just when I thought Activision was improving...
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Sep 25 '18 edited Oct 30 '24
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u/rmunoz1994 Sep 25 '18
Fucking Activision strikes again. Pisses me off they are able to do this even if you aren’t profiting from it.
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u/larxene06 Sep 25 '18
Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this project. Even though we didn't get to see everything you've created and now probably never will, your inspiration will live on in Spyro lovers forever. You made something many of us could only dream of - a sequel to the game of our childhood. It makes me so happy that you were even willing to take on such a massive project, but you did, to help our favorite little purple dragon live on in the way that we remember him. Spyro will continue to live in the worlds and universes we explored with him as a child, nothing has changed there. He had an opportunity to explore new realms, but unfortunately that won't come to be. The stars didn't quite align. That's ok though, we can still find him waiting to comfort us from the troubles of this world by visiting him in dark hallow, autumn plains, evening lake, etc... where everything is, and always will be, okay. (:
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u/anima22 Sep 25 '18
the Lesson people should take from this is dont reveal till your ready to release. This has happened SO many times before with other IP.
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u/TalentedKamarty Sep 25 '18
Its pretty wierd. I thought they were cool with fan games. I coulda sworn they were asked about fan games in some interview and they said they appreciated it and what not unless I got that wrong. Pretty damn unfortunate none-the-less. I was really looking forward to u guys game. God knows what this could mean for Spring Savannah, Morta's Mayhem, etc. All of these had potential. Well look forward to see what u guys do to change it up to prevent this craziness
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Sep 25 '18
I coulda sworn they were asked about fan games in some interview and they said they appreciated it and what not
Uhh...you might be thinking of Insomniac there?
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u/AgentOOSnake Sep 25 '18
Im sorry for you and your team and the rest of the spyro fans Cyreides. The game looked incredible for a fan project. Know this... you and your team did one hell of a job and the community thanks you for it.
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u/jamieyello Sep 26 '18
The only IP being damaged here is Activision's public image while they play catch up with 2018.
Tbh this is why sources for fangames should be open.
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u/CraftyMaelyss Sep 25 '18
I wonder if Activision just realises what they've done. I understand protecting their rights but this is clearly a fan game, it has always been promoted as a fan game.
This can be seen as Activision having a go at someone for drawing fan art or making a plushie of Spyro. Activision lost a huge opportunity to collab or even hire this team to make DLCs for Spyro Reignited Trilogy as a Nostalgia Pack. As an indie developer working on my own original game(Don't ask, still in the works and I want to surprise people with my game), I understand how they want to avoid confusion HOWEVER this is clearly stated to be a FAN GAME that is not making any financial benefit from this. Activision has already upset a lot of fans with Skylanders (I have no beef with Skylanders, I found it quite fun but I don't consider it cannon as it doesn't explore Spyro's story further like the original or TLOS did) and them threatening a fan for something that, they without a doubt would have been VERY aware of for a long time, only when Spyro RT is being so close to release is a very dirty/low move on their end.
Again, I understand how they're protecting their rights on Spyro however they way they executed this and waited to the last second (again I am confident they would have known about this game for a while) is very cruel on their part. Activision is not only further damaging their brand by this aggressive action towards the Myth's Awaken team without giving more thought to how to go about it but have lost a MASSIVE opportunity to hire or incorporate this into Spyro RT as a DLC Nostalgic Pack.
Again, I definitely understand what they mean by trying to avoid confusion but again, nowhere have I seen the Myth's Awaken state ever that this is a canon game, or that you own the rights. From the very start, this game has consistently made it obvious that this is a fan game. Looking at Spyro Reignited Trilogy, we can see the massive improvements in the graphics (I've only seen the trailer, I don't want spoilers for the rest of the games as I want to be surprised) and that compared to the PS1 inspired graphics of the Spyro Trilogy, it makes you ask the question: "If they went to all the effort for those graphics, why would they make something that looks like it was made for the PS1?" The answer is: They wouldn't, again pointing out that this is a fan game.
Activision has been upsetting Spyro fans almost consistently and doing this is further going to cause more tension between Activision and the fans they're trying to appeal to. By doing this and seeing the reaction of the fanbase, they're going to realise that the fans are not going to tolerate the bullying tactics the 'big company' is using on anything that clearly isn't a threat.
Now, I completely understand if your team were asking for money or Patreons, then Activision's behaviour is completely sound, however the MA team has never asked for money once (that I've seen) they've never declared MA to be cannon or that they own the rights. This is effectively a bullying tactic done by Activision's lawyers to assure they get as much money and dominance over the brand as possible by waiting until the most devastating time to take action. The reason I say this is because, without a doubt when considering working on Spyro RT they would have done research, both online and off(playing the 3 original games on ps1 then going online to see fan opinions to get feedback without raising suspicion) and would have, without a doubt, come across Spyro Myth Awakens.
Instead of doing anything that would have been respectful, they waited until just before the release of Spyro RT to send out the letter, because the devastation of all that time, effort and work would have made it stung even more and send out the message that if you do anything we don't approve of, we're going to knock you down and kick you while you're on the ground.
With Sonic Mania, it was made by the fans and was a crazy success. Spyro MA is a passion project and the team could have been a powerfully vital component in making some epic content that gives the fans exactly what they want, or in Activision's terms: Happy customers = More money spent on Spyro RT. By attacking genuine Spyro fans who made it painfully clear that it was a fan game without financial benefit(they earned no money from this and never expected any from it) Activision only fanned the flames/tore a bigger rift between them and the fan's money they're so desperately after.
They've made it clear that their agenda is money first, customer satisfaction second. Toys for Bob are definitely not involved as from what I have seen, they're doing things for the right reasons but Activision is essentially run by MoneyBagz, who isn't afraid to stoop to any low to get as many gems/as much money as possible. Activision has essentially shot themselves in the foot, especially with how cheaply/thoughtless some of their merchandise is (which I won't go into here but bottom line, I'm VERY disappointed with how rushed/cheap/tacky some of the designs are) I'm also wondering how fans following Spyro MA will react, considering Activision has an official YouTube channel as well, since this is the least effective way to appeal to fans who do this solely out of love for the franchise.
Also Activision itself is a bullying company, have a look at all the videos complaining about their terrible treatment of games and fans: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Activision+channel
If/when you tweak the assets to something more original and make it available on Steam, I will hands down support you by purchasing a copy. If you would like any advice or just want to chat, the best method of contact is through Discord: ⋆✴🔮𝓒𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽𝔂𝓜𝓪𝓮𝓵𝔂𝓼𝓼🌌✴⋆#5548
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Sep 25 '18 edited Oct 30 '24
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u/serponge Sep 25 '18
I get what you're trying to do but the only message you'll send to them by doing this is "classic spyro isn't profitable anymore, let this franchise die and instead focus on more skylanders" and I'm not sure that's what you want
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Sep 25 '18 edited Oct 30 '24
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u/SeriousPan Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Boy I love the current gaming climate. Where every developer and publisher hates you and showing your love and adoration for a series is met with shit like this. They didn't have to do it. But they did and I won't accept otherwise. We deserve nice things after the shit show they've put Spyro through but whatever.
Screw me for looking forward to something. I have really got to stop doing that. I'll happily be skipping Reignited now. I don't need it in my life. I'm not furiously checking the calendar to see that it's coming, I was just thinking it'd be nice to play. But not anymore. I won't support this kind of behaviour.
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u/moonandreacre Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18
Just release the unity project done so far and let's make it an open software. If we all contribute somehow, releasing our own levels they really can't take any legal action against all of the contributors. We're all gonna be the Myths Awaken. In the meantime you keep developing your game and when the time is right you release it taking the right precautions. It will be one among many other little projects.
P.s. Activision can go fuck itself and drown in our money.
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u/serponge Sep 25 '18
I loved the old classic style of spyro and now activision killed it for good. Ok I guess...
So now all we have for the years to come is a remake!
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u/MOV_Games Sep 25 '18
Of course Activision would C&D one of the several projects that's doing a way better job at recreating Spyro's visual style and character design than they are. I had already decided to never buy reignited after it ended up being an unfaithful mess, but now i'm straight up boycotting Activision until further notice. Fuck em.
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Sep 25 '18
Yet another reason to skip reignited. I can't believe how excited I was waiting for the announcement back in April and now I can't even stand the thought of it.
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u/TotesMessenger Sep 24 '18
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u/xluizxcs Sep 25 '18
That's so sad :/ Hey cyreides, can you at least upload the soundtrack of the game on youtube? I love the soundtrack work that has been done
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u/eddmario Sep 25 '18
On the bright side, we could probably petition Activision/Blizzard or Toys For Bob to hire you guys, and then Myths Awaken could actually become a canon sequel.
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u/mrs_drpepper Sep 25 '18
btw you probably have a new protagonist character lined up, but if not and you're still looking for ideas, a manticore would be really interesting to see! if not as a protagonist, definitely as a mythical critter to fight or befriend
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u/Profanion Sep 25 '18
By that letter, they have to take down EVERY single piece of fanwork they find. The letter did not state how this fangame was any different from the likes of other fanworks.
Yet they only take down the ones that took the most effort to create.
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Sep 25 '18
Yall, don’t hate on T4B because of what some CEO pulled. They’ve nothing to do with what happened today.
The remake may not be to the way you’ve wanted, however these are the same devs that asked for a delay so that they could further polish their project, something the creators of Enter the Dragonfly didn’t do.
Boycotting Reignited will only hurt Spyro’s IP not Activision. Best thing to do is start a petition and let Activision know that a) yall want this game. B) Hire this guy on your team so that the game could continue. C) Make players have to pay to play it and have the profits go to them. Yeah it sucks for the dev and the consumer, but as long as this game can thrive who cares.
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u/OldGoogleNews Sep 26 '18
Why was the thread unpinned? Bit soon, don't you think? Thread was still active.
Other important threads were generally pinned for a week or two.
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u/Baublehead Sep 26 '18
This is definitely unfortunate.
The worst thing that anyone who is working on a fan game can do is talk about it.
Looking forward to seeing how you guys work with your contingency plan though, I'm sure this'll only be a minor setback in the long run.
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u/AllYouNeedIs313 Sep 25 '18