el OPERATOR wrote:I'm also beginning to think that this a bigger part of the overall scenario than has been realized.
Logibro's comments in some of the other threads about how exactly Legion has come about are rather revealing. Unlike Valkyrie, which initially was a Dev side/spare time project, Legion has actually thus far been created as a main project using the production resources slated for supporting and developing DUST. Without actually having the internal authority ("the green light") to do so. Which would mean since October basically, support resources allocated by CCP executives to follow through on the commitments made to Sony regarding product development were usurped at that development level to design and create a product which would NOT go to Sony or the Sony customer base.
This explains not only why all FanFest runup materials term items and events as being DUST 514 instead of Mystery Legion or something else AND explains why we, here on the ground in DUST 514 have been living in crazy-bug-imbalance-see-saw-ville for months with very little done to address it. The devs groups have been working on Legion when they were supposed to have working on DUST. Marketing doesn't know, accounting doesn't know, Hilmar probably didn't know. And we sure as **** didn't know.
Now the legal part of this is where it could get real interesting. CCP of course has every right to create what they want, for who they want. UNLESS they are in a contract where doing so is a conflict. Sony has the Exclusive Distribution rights to DUST514, and it sounds like maybe Valkyrie too. Production rights, duplication rights and distribution rights are all different aspects of total copyright. Selling or leasing them is where the $$ is in creative property. And the case law is long and well established regarding conflicts of interest. Depending on how the terms are written, CCP's development cabal may have just exposed CCP to serious legal action from SONY since what's coming out is that the resources obligated to be available to support the product SONY has been distributing instead were used to develop a COMPETING PRODUCT, thus hampering Sony's ability to be profitable in distributing, since they've been basically given a willfully and knowingly defective product to distribute in the first place.
If it turns out that what I'm seeing is even remotely close to the truth, there may be some heads rolling at CCP real soon. Sony has a looooong history in media distribution, especially in their BMG side. A cease and desist order for something like this is probably a mad-lib form just waiting to be signed and dated. There's NO doubt in my mind that ALL charge-backs happening ultimately will come out of CCPs pocket, and very little doubt that if Sony feels slighted or shortchanged in this in ANY way it WILL not only affect the future distribution prospects of Legion but Valkyrie too. CCP will be in a position to create the greatest video games the world has ever seen and SONY will be in a position to guarantee NOBODY EVER sees them.
TL;DR CCPs cutting off the nose to spite the face may get the neck broken.