Activision Breaks Gaming Contract With Viacomm

posted on October 15th, 2003, 10:25 pm

I'm not sure if any of you have heard of current events, but if you try to buy Armada 2, you'll find a problem.... ITS STOPPED SHIPPING!

When you investigate why, you find out that Activision, the publisher of Armada 2, as well as 9 other Star trek titles, including Elite Force 2 and Starfleet Command 3, has broken its 10 year contract with Viacomm (the owner of STAR TREK), and launched a law suit against Viacomm for basically running STAR TREK into the ground.

Activision accuses Viacomm of not meeting contractual agreements (specified in their 10 year contract, formed in 1998), such as providing a steady stream of ST series' and movies. Activision notes that, since the contract was created, Viacomm has let 2 series end, has only had 1 movie (with dismal results, Nemesis, the first trek film unable to break the $50 million mark for the US market), has no plans for any more movies, and has a current series with poor ratings (Enterprise ranked 101st last year). Activision insists that Viacomm's actions, or inactions, has resulted in serious damage to Activision, particularly in their inability to exploit a once impressive empire, for which they paid $20 mil for the contract & licensing rights.

Viacomm claims that Activision is simply using the courts as a method to re-negotiate/get out of their current contract. Viacomm says, although they have no current plans for another Trek movie, they have not ruled it out.


SOOO.. what do you guys think of this. Activision no longer intends to create any more ST games, and currently no other gaming publisher has picked up the licence. This pretty much means we wont see any new games until someone else picks it up -- but who might do it? Will this be good, or bad for the Trek gaming culture?

Duffeh

posted on October 16th, 2003, 4:25 am

well, i don't like most of the acitivision-startrek-games.. they are no top games don't even intend to be. Activision simply created a mass of "medium quality" games, to get as much money out of its licence.

But of course this means no more ST games.. Some like Armada1 or Elite Force were good games.

After all i think it is not that bad for the gaming community.. there still are mods and stuff. The only fear i have is, that Viacomm let Star Trek fall.

posted on October 16th, 2003, 4:42 am

elite force 2 is a mid class game? i don't think activision tries to make bad sellung games, what reason should that have?

DOCa Cola

posted on October 16th, 2003, 9:24 am

nope, i mean armada1 and elite force 2 are good games

well, the reason is they try to make good selling games.. but some of them don't fit in the startrek universe..
for example i don't like the phasershotgun in ef2 where you kill aliens which easily could be part of the alien trilogy, and not of a star trek episode..
but still ef2 is a very nice action shooter with a good single player part, which can be compared to halflife

posted on October 16th, 2003, 4:58 pm

so basicly what you are saying is that the make good games but they are not based on 100% facts

[trekki]

posted on October 17th, 2003, 11:06 pm

Last edited by trekki on October 17th, 2003, 11:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Well it seems to me like yall (The creators of Fleet Operations) cold start yalls own company making ST RTS and/or other stuff. Yall do make it like the Star Trek universe with FO and all.

Just a suggestion.

BTW when i do get programming under my belt and get some experience in game making I want to create Star Trek games. It doesn't matter what kind of games, mostly FPS and RTS games. I am just saying this cause this is one of my dreams to do.

posted on October 17th, 2003, 11:24 pm

well, you cannot start making startrek games (and earn money with it) without the licence and acitivision is.. or better was the only one who had it

posted on October 18th, 2003, 12:17 am

I was VERY disapointed with EF2. It was basically a rip of the first game. Not great.

posted on October 20th, 2003, 8:43 am

Sorry to hear about this, and a bit mad at Both companies for letting this happen, .

but i can't keep angry at ppl that have made me happy!

posted on October 20th, 2003, 4:34 pm

They have made us all happey by createing a crap game fleet ops was born! :-)

posted on October 26th, 2003, 10:11 pm

The problem is that this stops them from creating any games that might have been good.

posted on October 25th, 2004, 5:49 am

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

posted on October 26th, 2004, 6:11 pm

this is bad

posted on October 26th, 2004, 8:57 pm

it is a bad day in the empire and i shal weep :cry: altho that new game sounds good all i will have to do is get a beter modem and then i will be fine

posted on October 27th, 2004, 2:47 am

HOW!!!!!!HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN!!!!!!!