This needs to be a STICKY! • NEW STRATEGIC AGREEMENT WITH HASBRO CONCERNING THE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FRANCHISE • DIGITAL GAMING RIGHTS TO BE SOLD BACK TO HASBRO FOR 19.5 MILLION US DOLLARS Lyon, France, July 18, 2007 – As part of the relaunch strategy announced by the Group on June 21 and the Group’s plan to focus its investment on major franchises with significant potential, Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257) today announced the signing of a new agreement with Hasbro concerning: - the extension until 2017 of the exploitation of the intellectual property rights to the Dungeons & Dragons universe, under an exclusive license covering all interactive formats, including online and wireless. The agreement covers all current and future products that are part of this universe, including NeverWinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, etc. Two new games have already been announced for fiscal 2007-2008: NeverWinter Nights 2 Expansion Pack for PC and Dungeons & Dragons Tactics for PSP.- the purchase by Hasbro of digital gaming rights (online and wireless) to nine franchises (Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk, Game of Life, Clue, Yahtzee, Battleship, Boggle and Simon), for 19.5 million dollars (*). This sale will have no significant impact on revenue for the current fiscal year. “This agreement represents a reaffirmation of our partnership with Hasbro. It is an important step in our business strategy that will allow us to keep and strengthen a franchise with significant potential, while giving the Group additional resources to invest in the relaunch of its publishing business. Dungeons & Dragons is one of the Group’s historic intellectual properties on which we plan to expand our business, relying on one of the largest and most active gamer communities in the world of video games,” commented Patrick Leleu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. (*) of which, 4 million dollars shall be paid to Atari Inc***About Infogrames Entertainment and AtariInfogrames Entertainment (IESA), the parent company of the Atari Group, is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (ISIN code: FR-0000052573) and has two main subsidiaries: Atari Europe, a privately-held company, and Atari, Inc., a United States corporation listed on NASDAQ (ATAR). The Atari Group is a producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and in all existing game formats (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) and on CD-ROM for PC. Its games are sold in more than 60 countries. The Atari Group’s extensive catalogue of popular games is based on original franchises (Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, Test Drive, etc.) and international licenses (Dragon Ball Z, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.). For more information: http://www.atari.com Cécile SORNAY – Corporate and Financial Communication DirectorTel: + 33 (4) 37 64 30 00 – Fax: + 33 (4) 37 64 30 35 cecile.sornay@atari.com
Re: [IMPORTANT] A campaign to get the official tools released So we need to start bugging Hasbro? Does this mean future sales of ToEE will be money in Hasbro's coffers? If so, they may see the advantage to keeping the game alive.
Re: [IMPORTANT] A campaign to get the official tools released Hasbro will most likely sell the license again to another publishing company as soon as they can, and hopefully for a profit.
Re: [IMPORTANT] A campaign to get the official tools released I wonder what WotC has to say about all this. They hold the copyright to all things D&D. Most everything is going to be console or online. I can deal with online but I can't play the console games. Really poor hand/eye,etc. Just as long as no one steps in and says quit modding,I don't much care. Sure would be nice to have the game engine files, tho.
Re: [IMPORTANT] A campaign to get the official tools released Hasbro owns them...or is it vice-versa? http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=sites Pay attention, as they call the D&D stuff a "Hasbro" site. They are into everything gaming. I noticed this with my recent "Risk" acquisition, since Avalon Hill is also a Hasbro property. The 4th Edition is going to absolutely make the electronic version "interchangeable" with table top for players. You'll be able to fully integrate web based & tabletop based play. They've basically gotten back the rights to do electronic games from Atari, and are making a start with a clean slate. Virtual gaming is about to come into it's own. Instead of them selling tons & tons of books, it'll be cd's. And we'll never get the tools, as they plan to sell them to us in the form of the 4th edition. Edit: One last thought: It's like they've been taking tips from us, isn't it? I'll wager there's more than one of them visiting these (ours and other) forums.
Um, isn't this just the same thing as the recent 'Atari extends D&D license rights' announcement from a while back? The second paragraph says Infogrames (Atari) gets D&D until 2017, and the third paragraph says Hasbro is purchasing digital gaming rigts to Yahtzee and all that other crap (not D&D). I think we may be confusing the two.
Well, they've even renovated the D&D web site to go along with the whole 4th Edition hype. I see it as them trying to re-assert it as a game for the table top along with an on-line component for people who have limited access to a gaming group. It also gets them some distance from the other names associated with failures so their product can be judged on its own merits. In other words, to make it look like its in the hands of people who care about it rather than the folks who didn't. :shrug:
Look what I found! How irritating. If they would have came to me, I would have come up with a way to pay more than 19.5 million for the d&d rights, just to throw a monkey wrench in the manufacture of 4th edition! Also, I would have changed my name to Necroticpus Gygax!
I don't know if I trust a post that has no words, just quotes. Is this one of those public service posts, or is the OP just to busy to say anything? Wish I was that important. Weird!
