denis-dyack posts

Part of any game's development cycle is its advertising efforts. Done to drum up interest in a title that might otherwise go unnoticed, there are various approaches a PR staff can take. They can appeal to a gamer's intellect by displaying a bullet point list of key features. They can evoke a sense of competition by challenging the player's pride in his abilities. They can even rely on nostalgia in the case of a sequel, or if the game is a reissue of an old game for a new platform.

Going along with the publisher-generated hype is media coverage of the game. There are dozens, if not scores of game-related sites out there, all ready to give you their opinions and competing with each other to provide first looks at screenshots and gameplay. Given these two forces in action, it can be difficult to avoid oversaturation. By the time a game arrives on store shelves, you might find that the excitement and anticipation you felt upon first hearing of the title has been drowned in the sea of clamoring voices, all vying for your attention. Worse yet, you might find that playing the game itself does not provide the experience promised by all the hype. What's to be done about this?

In an interview with Develop, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack broke his silence regarding the legal battle his company is tangled in with developer Epic Games.

"The trial is proceeding, we feel really good about our claims, and we're hopeful that justice will be done," Dyack commented to Develop. "We all feel really strongly that they have defrauded us, and a major portion of the industry."

In July 2007, Silicon Knights filled a lawsuit against Epic Games - developers of Gears of War - alleging that the developer's Unreal Engine 3 code was inadequate and has "caused serious damage to not only Silicon Knights, but a number of other developers in the industry," as reported by GameDaily. In August of the same year, Epic Games filled a counterclaim stating that Silicon Knights had copied its technology when a new engine was developed for Too Human.

It appears the heated battle rages on and considering the amount of licensees Epic Games has for its Unreal Engine 3 tool set the outcome could largely impact the games industry.

[via GameDaily]