Image courtesy of IGN.com
Last week’s reveal that Platinum Games, formerly of Clover fame, was making four entirely new videogames was one of the most exciting moments of the year in gaming. The return of powerful creative voices is always reason to sit up and pay attention. Brendan Sinclair of Gamespot sat down with Sega America VP of marketing Sean Ratcliffe and president Simon Jeffery to discuss Sega and Platinum’s new publishing relationship. Interviews like this tend to not be very revealing about the content or creation of the games being discussed; these aren’t designers talking, they’re marketers, so they market. Buried beneath the glad-handing here, though, is some scary insight into what independent developers without the resources to publish and promote their own work face when getting their games onto the world stage. Take a look at this excerpt:
Gamespot: Is this (publishing) deal exclusive, or can Platinum work here and there for other publishers?
Simon Jeffrey: It's completely exclusive.
Gamespot: Do the intellectual property rights for these brands stay with Sega or Platinum Games?
Simon Jeffrey: Sega.
No matter what Platinum Games creates under this agreement, they don’t get to own it. As both Jeffrey and Ratcliffe emphasize throughout the interview, they’re looking to turn Hideki Kamiya’s Bayonetta, Inaba’s Madworld, and Shinji Mikami’s untitled project into franchises. But these worlds, these characters, and most likely any assets built specifically for these games will become the property of Sega. While it’s laudable that Sega brass is offering as much opportunity, promotion, and “independence” to Platinum Games as they can, it’s upsetting to hear that they’re continuing the trend of retaining intellectual property. If ever there was an argument for an industry wide move to digital distribution, it’s that said move would keep a creator’s creation in their hands.
And, oh yeah, here’s some more ultra-violence for you. Just look at this trailer for Madworld. That is AWESOME. Apparently, it’s so gory, they may not even release it in Japan. Beautiful.