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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Rights Disputed
Update: Ukrainian S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series developer GSC Game World has responded to yesterday's claims from BitComposer Entertainment that BitComposer now holds the rights to the series.
In a statement on its website (below), GSC categorically refuted BitComposers' claim. Interestingly, GSC's development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was stopped earlier this year because the company's new investors at the time couldn't come to an agreement with the IP's rights holder.
In view of the rumors appearing in press, we find it necessary to inform that GSC Game World and [GSC CEO] Sergey Grigorovich remain to be the sole owners of all the intellectual property rights to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series and the brand overall, including all the trademarks, the game universe, the technology etc. This can be easily verified with the trademark services online.
From time to time news on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. brand purchase by this or that company appear over the Internet. We relate such a keen interest in the brand to its exceptional popularity. Even the purchase of rights to create a “Roadside picnic” book-based game by a small publisher is presented as the continuation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise. We have doubts regarding the mentioned product by bitComposer (the publisher of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat on some territories), since the latter has significant debts in terms of fulfilling the obligations under the existing contract between our companies.
Who will we be hearing from next? We imagine it'll be a lawyer.
[Thanks to reader Daniel T. for the tip!]
Original Story: The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series is back on its feet, thanks to a German born company who has acquired the rights to the series.
BitComposer Entertainment – who published the series' Call of Pripyat in 2010 – will put out future games for the franchise, although nothing specific has been announced.
It was previously rumored earlier this year that Bethesda had its eye on the series, but whether that was untrue from the start or the deal fell through somehow is unknown.
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