Things are heating up outside of E3 it seems, as former creative director Patrice Desilets files a lawsuit against publisher Ubisoft for IP rights. The title in question is the currently unfinished project– 1666: Amsterdam .
Desilets left Ubisoft in 2010 and went on to found his own studio in the form of THQ Montreal a year later, but, evidently, never settled the issue of Amsterdam —thus, today’s fiasco. The director is pushing for full development rights on the project, but Ubisoft refuses to lose ground on the matter.
As reported by GameInformer , a recent statement from Ubisoft attorney Steve Smith reads as follows: “If Mr. Desilets has any interest in further pursuing the 1666 project, he should calm down and sit back down at the table.” Continuing on, Smith asserts that “Ubisoft can develop and publish 1666 with Patrice Desilets or without him. It prefers to do so with him. If the parties cannot agree on a new contract, Ubisoft will fully honor its obligations under the existing contract. But it will also exercise its rights under the existing contract.”
We’re looking at David and the Goliath redux on this one, since Desilets is filing a case over publication rights against the publishing titan that fired him . However, the case’s outcome remains inconclusive, so the future of 1666 is not yet set in stone.
Source: Gamesindustry