Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Sega And Gearbox Respond To Aliens: Colonial Marines Lawsuit
This saga of Aliens: Colonial Marines is not yet over. When it was released earlier this year, the title met a firing squad of critics and consumers. The biggest frustrations though, were focused on the stark discrepancies between footage shown at trade shows and conventions and a final considered inferior by most accounts.
Earlier this week, we shared with you the news of a class action lawsuit focused on the advertising and promotional practiced used. Now, Sega and Gearbox have both responded to requests for comment.
Sega told Game Informer that it, "cannot comment on specifics of ongoing litigation, but we are confident that the lawsuit is without merit and we will defend it vigorously.” Gearbox's response is a more aggressive version of the same sentiment.
"Attempting to wring a class action lawsuit out of a demonstration is beyond meritless. We continue to support the game, and will defend the rights of entertainers to share their works-in-progress without fear of frivolous litigation."
This litigation follows a complaint filed with the UK's Advertising Standards Agency, which resulted in a slap on the wrist and a disclaimer in the note section of the pre-release YouTube videos for the title on Sega Europe's official channel. Whether you agree with the suit or disagree (as our own Matt Helgeson opined this week), if the details of the troubled development are exposed, it will at least be an enlightening exercise.
We've heard from a number of anonymous developers related to the project that the trouble visible on the surface was only a small fraction of the turmoil. Perhaps if this does reach trial, the truth will finally out.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
