Crispy Gamer News

While the fat lady may have sung on Brash Entertainment, that doesn’t meant there’s not still plenty of fallout. The company is currently being sued by not one, but two game developers in Los Angeles Superior Court over alleged nonpayment.

The first lawsuit, filed back on October 30th by California-based 7 Studios claims Brash failed to pay it $581,000 for its work on two video games, Six Flags Fun Park and 9. 9 was to based on an upcoming animated feature film by director Tim Burton. Meanwhile, Six Flags Fun Park, for the Nintendo Wii and DS, was nearly complete when Brash decided to exercise a clause in its contract and cancel the game without cause in early October.

The second lawsuit, filed by Slovenian game developer Zootfly on Friday, alleges that Brash owes it $748,000 for work done on a video game adaptation of the Fox television show, “Prison Break.” Brash gave that game the axe at the end of September.

Brash (or what’s left of it at least) has been silent about recent issues. There’s been no response to inquiries about the status of its lingering licenses, and no comment made about these recent lawsuits.

When Brash Entertainment first hit the video game scene, it looked like the company could be a big player in the industry, bridging the creative gap between developers and Hollywood. They had the talent, the drive, the connections, and most importantly, the money to make it all come together. Then it all seemed to just come apart at the seams.

Starting the downhill slide, Brash’s first three projects, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Jumper: Griffin’s Story, and Space Chimps, all performed way below expectations, critically and financially. Meanwhile, projects listed as “in development”, such as Saw and Night at the Museum, were suddenly MIA. Sure, we were told work was continuing on the projects, but nothing solid ever seemed to come about. Then, there was a mass exodus of the top brass at Brash, with rumors that execs weren’t happy with the overall direction the company was taking.
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Brash Entertainment’s loss is apparently Oddworld’s gain. It’s been no secret that Brash has been in the midst of a corporate shakeup lately, with an exodus of sorts taking place in the company’s boardroom. Now, Variety reports that former Brash Entertainment Chief Creative Officer, Larry Shapiro, has landed a new gig as president of Lorne Lanning’s Oddworld Inhabitants.

One of the more interesting bits about this news is the fact that Oddworld has been operating pretty much under the radar since the release of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath for the original Xbox back in 2005. The appointment of a new president and the redevelopment of the company website, though, would tend to indicate that Lanning and his crew have something in the works.

Shapiro, who has previously worked with Oddworld during his tenure as video game agent at Creative Artists Agency, will take over for Lanning as president of the company immediately, with Lanning stepping aside to focus on the creative side of the company. Sherry McKenna will stick with her current position as CEO of Oddworld.

Hot on the heels of news that Thomas Tull left Brash Entertainment and an article on Variety describing the studio as “in turmoil”, Brash CEO Mitch Davis talked to GameDaily BIZ, acknowledging the departure of Tull due to “a conflict of interest,” but stating that he remained with the company as an investor and advisor.

In the interview, Davis also admits that the company was likely “overly ambitious” in its first year, outlining changes in its business plan for the future.

According to Davis:

“Good games take time, and it’s fair to say that we were overly ambitious in putting out three games in our first year of business. We certainly took our lumps on those titles, and for that reason we have made several changes.”

Source: GameDaily

Development studio Brash Entertainment was dealt a blow today, as board member Thomas Tull resigned from the company. Tull, the chairman and CEO of film studio Legendary Pictures, was one of the co-founders of Brash when it was founded year, and was a major factor in helping to raise Brash’s initial $400 million in private funding.

No official word was given for Tull’s decision to leave Brash, though it’s been reported that he was unhappy with the performance of Brash’s initial releases: Alvin & the Chipmunks, Space Chimps, and Jumper: Griffin’s Story. Tull was also apparently unhappy with the overall direction the company was taking. Even so, Tull still apparently remains one of Brash’s major investors.
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