Chris Sawyer Sues Atari

[bapenguin]

According to GamesIndustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=12857), Chris Sawyer is sueing Atari for breach of contract in regards to the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise.

Sawyer claims that Atari acted in breach of contract by refusing to give auditors full access to accounts between 1999-2001. Following a desktop review and analysis carried out by his own auditors, Sawyer claims that Atari Interactive owes him USD 4.8 million in omitted and miscalculated payments.
Damn, that's a lot of money. The original is still one of my all time favorite games.

[fitbabits]

I think I read somewhere that Sawyer had already made over $30 million from the franchise. Why is it that people who have money always want more?

[Taco]

Well if he's in the right it's about getting money that was more or less stolen from him.

[fitbabits]

Well if he's in the right it's about getting money that was more or less stolen from him.
Right, and I wouldn't deny him what he's owed. So what's my point? Only that people who already have heaps of money are often the most vocal and vigorous about suing for more.

[Taco]

They are the only people who can afford to lose money to lawyers ;).

[fitbabits]

They are the only people who can afford to lose money to lawyers ;).
Hmm, very true! :)

[Citizen Philip]

Right, and I wouldn't deny him what he's owed. So what's my point? Only that people who already have heaps of money are often the most vocal and vigorous about suing for more.

If you discover the bank has been accidentally charging you $40 a month for the last 10 months, do you let it go because I mean.. comon, it's only $40 a month!

You get your goddam money, and then you make sure they they did everything else right, who knows what else they screwed up. The only difference is the amount, the principal is the same.

[Ajezz]

Right, and I wouldn't deny him what he's owed. So what's my point? Only that people who already have heaps of money are often the most vocal and vigorous about suing for more.

Lawyers and legal battles are expensive, so only people with oodles of cash already can can cover the intial costs of entering a protracted legal battle against a corporation and the army of lawyers on standby. An average joe would just have to take it on the chin...

[Xaerin]

Right, and I wouldn't deny him what he's owed. So what's my point? Only that people who already have heaps of money are often the most vocal and vigorous about suing for more.

Only because these people are the only ones who other people care about and are dealing in sums of money worth mentioning. You don't think the homeless get vocal over a dollar?

It's hard enough for developers to make money, especially when you consider their games are costing maybe 20 million to make, an extra 5 mil comes in very handy.

[Donut11]

Rich people tend to be rich because they respect every stinking penny they have. Read this book. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671015206/qid=1131549971/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-7903224-4218262?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[bean19]

Right, and I wouldn't deny him what he's owed. So what's my point? Only that people who already have heaps of money are often the most vocal and vigorous about suing for more.

Well, I work in a law office, and from what I've seen, the people who "have heaps of money" also have heaps of expenses. Doctors charge exorbitant rates, but we've represented doctors who had to deliver pizzas in the evening to pay all their bills because they only get about 30% of their bills paid, and they have to keep an office open.

In the case of Roller Coaster Tycoon, are you sure you didn't hear that the franchise sold $30 million? That's a lot of games sold. Even if this is just the games sold, and we only count $50 sales, that is 600,000 copies. That would be about right for a PC game that sold very well. I bet it has sold about a million copies all told, but the majority of them at discount prices. The game was a bit of a sleeper hit after all.

I find it unlikely that Chris Sawyer would have made $30 million himself off of it. The number of 4.8 million is much more in line with what I would expect.

[Citizen Philip]

... An average joe would just have to take it on the chin...

An average Joe isn't owed 2-3 million by a gaming company.

[fitbabits]

Well, I work in a law office, and from what I've seen, the people who "have heaps of money" also have heaps of expenses. Doctors charge exorbitant rates, but we've represented doctors who had to deliver pizzas in the evening to pay all their bills because they only get about 30% of their bills paid, and they have to keep an office open.

In the case of Roller Coaster Tycoon, are you sure you didn't hear that the franchise sold $30 million? That's a lot of games sold. Even if this is just the games sold, and we only count $50 sales, that is 600,000 copies. That would be about right for a PC game that sold very well. I bet it has sold about a million copies all told, but the majority of them at discount prices. The game was a bit of a sleeper hit after all.

I find it unlikely that Chris Sawyer would have made $30 million himself off of it. The number of 4.8 million is much more in line with what I would expect.
I should have mentioned my source:

Next Generation is reporting that Chris Sawyer, the creator of the best selling Rollercoaster Tycoon game series, is suing the game's publisher Atari for $4.8 million. According to the article, Sawyer claims Atari miscalculated royalty payments from the series from 1999 to 2003. Even with Atari's apparent math problems the article states that Sawyer has received a whopping $30 million from the publisher since the Rollercoaster Tycoon series began. A hearing on the suit will be held in London.
Again, to reiterate my point, take the 'homeless person' analogy that Xaerin mentioned above - I don't see any benevolent lawyers (or doctors, for that matter) fighting as vocally or vigorously for their rights.

[Chandler]

If it took 2 years for Chris to make RCT, it would be the equivalent of someone losing 18g's for no reason if their salary is 60k a year.

[Axiom]

He probably deserves every penny of it, unlike the dumbass who says he was glued to the home depot toilet seat and deserves 3 million bucks for his humiliation.

[Crimson]

The way I look at it, Mr. Sawyer is entitled to that money. I mean, the series made more than $180 million for Atari, and they are fighting with him over $4 million? You'd think they'd try to keep a guy who made that much for them, and got an 18% cut, happy. Plus, if this lawsuit is about proceeds from 1999-2003, it sounds like he's tried to deal with Atari before suing. Say what you will about him being "greedy" for wanting what is due him, why defend Atari/Infogrames? They are a gigantic worldwide publisher who has historically mistreated developers and kicked out unfinished games.

[Thenetcase]

Lawyers and legal battles are expensive, so only people with oodles of cash already can can cover the intial costs of entering a protracted legal battle against a corporation and the army of lawyers on standby. An average joe would just have to take it on the chin...

This is absolutely not true.

People with NO money can afford lawyers for suits like this because most lawyers will give people the option to pay nothing up front until the case is won, then the lawyer takes a percentage (20-30% usually) of the suit winnings. I think that most lawyers would bend over and take it for 20% of 4.8M.

I fully believe that if you are owed 4.8M dollars, you should go for it -- no matter how rich or poor you are. There is a precident there.
In business, if you give someone crooked an inch, they will take a foot. Sawyer is doing the smart thing in this case -- getting the proverbial "inch" back for himself.... That way he doesn't get screwed over even worse later.

-TNC-

[fitbabits]

The way I look at it, Mr. Sawyer is entitled to that money. I mean, the series made more than $180 million for Atari, and they are fighting with him over $4 million? You'd think they'd try to keep a guy who made that much for them, and got an 18% cut, happy. Plus, if this lawsuit is about proceeds from 1999-2003, it sounds like he's tried to deal with Atari before suing. Say what you will about him being "greedy" for wanting what is due him, why defend Atari/Infogrames? They are a gigantic worldwide publisher who has historically mistreated developers and kicked out unfinished games.
I am not, repeat NOT, defending Atari or Infogrammes... If he's owed it then Atari should pay - I've already stated that.

[bean19]

Oh, I get your point fitabits. You aren't saying that he isn't owed the money, but just that the uber wealthy seem to be the most vocal about not being paid.

I tend to agree with other people that have stated that everyone is vocal about when they are not paid correctly, but that we only really hear about the uber wealthy because those are the only numbers large enough to be deemed newsworthy.

In this case, correctly so. I wouldn't give a damn if Kelegacy was suing Kefkatran $50 for services rendered. That wouldn't be interesting to anyone because it is too little money to be newsworthy.

The same is true for doctors and lawyers. With Republican backed insurance companies, doctors are having to fight to get medical care for patients and are often losing money on procedures they do "free" because they took an oath to take care of people, and half of their medical expenses that they expect to get paid for are denied by insurance carriers or are eaten up in legal and bureaucratic costs attempting to get paid for their services. Btw, that is why aspirin costs $40 in the hospital. They are attempting to gouge back wherever they can.

That story, btw, gets news quite often. It is the whole "healthcare" issue. . . but it just doesn't get read that much because most people don't find it that interesting, and also the news doesn't really report the whole story. They don't see the doctor's accounts like I do.

Anyway, I'm using this as an example, and find myself wanting to do a treatise on healthcare. . . sorry for going a bit off topic with the example.

[Dabombpizza]

This is absolutely not true.

People with NO money can afford lawyers for suits like this because most lawyers will give people the option to pay nothing up front until the case is won, then the lawyer takes a percentage (20-30% usually) of the suit winnings. I think that most lawyers would bend over and take it for 20% of 4.8M.

I fully believe that if you are owed 4.8M dollars, you should go for it -- no matter how rich or poor you are. There is a precident there.
In business, if you give someone crooked an inch, they will take a foot. Sawyer is doing the smart thing in this case -- getting the proverbial "inch" back for himself.... That way he doesn't get screwed over even worse later.

-TNC-

Curse your logic and real world sense! Regardless of whether he deserves 4.8 million dollars (which he does, it was in his contract), this cannot be good news for Atari. Bad fiscal reports, bad sales, and now this? I smell buyout.

[mixuk]

Are you guys serious? 4.8 mil is a lot of cash, no matter how rich you are. I'd get it back if I could, and so would everyone of you.

[The Iron Weasel]

Are you guys serious? 4.8 mil is a lot of cash, no matter how rich you are. I'd get it back if I could, and so would everyone of you.

No I'd keep my artisic integri.....Yeah I'd go get that cash.

[Taco]

Are you guys serious? 4.8 mil is a lot of cash, no matter how rich you are. I'd get it back if I could, and so would everyone of you.

I don't think there's a single person in this thread that has posted something contradictory to that. Just a general obsveration that was clarified later.

[AversionFX]

That's kind of ridiculous. I mean, sure, if they breach contract and he is entitled more money. But c'mon, this is getting ridiculous.

[Morrolan]

It's not as though he's trying to get the money Atari owes him from the Christian Children's Fund or something. On the whole, I'd rather that that 5 mil go to a guy like Sawyer than a dumbass company like Atari.
Atari (allegedly,) stole his money. I don't care if it's five dollars or five billion, he should do everything he can to get it from them.

It makes no sense to say that since he's already rich it's just greedy to go after this. It's FIVE MILLION DOLLARS that he earned. How are you not MORE mad at Atari for stealing that five million dollars? It's got to go to somebody, yet Sawyer's the greedy one?

[Stormwatcher]

No I'd keep my artisic integri.....Yeah I'd go get that cash.

Jokes apart, he would be ditching his artistic integrity if he DIDN'T go for the money. If he accepted less than what was defined by contract for his artistic work, he would be demeaning his own capabilities.

The issue is not just the cold hard 5mil. The issue is ALSO his worth as a Triple A game designer. He should neve ever accept on single cent less than what is written in his contract.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

It's hard enough for developers to make money, especially when you consider their games are costing maybe 20 million to make, an extra 5 mil comes in very handy.


This is bollocks. Just because EA spends a few million on a game doesn't mean that everyone has to. The vast majority of games do not cost anywhere near 20 million dollars to make.

Hell the first RCT was developed by one man on a very small budget, and it sold far more copies than the next 2. The third game, which had the highest budget by far, hasn't sold anywhere near what the first one did.

[Dracula-X]

I wonder how many other developers get screwed by *cough*mixups*cough* like this.

[netcraazzy]

I wonder if Chris Sawyer is working on anything new. Rollercoaster Tycoon and Transport Tycoon are two of my all time favorite games.

[Luxoman]

Atari's lawyers have found ways to screw developers out of royalties for years. First, they bury the royalties into a long-term holding account that ATARI makes interest on (standard industry practice) rather than make payments to the developer. Next, they keep a large reserve aside from that for possible returns (also standard practice).

But what sets Atari apart is the inordinate length of time they hold funds, and how often they roll those funds into the next quarter, which can hold a developer's royalties for well over a year. And MOST of the time, that reserve money (Atari has a HUGE reserve %) magically vanishes, never to be spoken of or seen again.

Developers these days just never assume they will make a penny from royalties.

[Thenetcase]

Another really good way to look at it

If you were worth 20 Million dollars and someone broke into your house and stole a 5 million dollar diamon studded gold vest that you'd won as an award for excellence by some Fortune 500 promotional, would you want the police to pursue it, or would you go, "Aww shucks, it's only 5 Million. I'm rich as sin already, who the heck gives a rip?"... OR would you be actively interested in the police finding and prosecuting the thief?

-TNC-