Square Enix pulls rug from under Chrono sequel
Let's say you're interested in getting together with a few people and creating a video game. Now let's say said game is a sequel to a known, copyrighted property and you'd be using assets from the original game. Logic dictates at this point that you'd get permission from the copyright owner doesn't it?
A screen from the original Chrono Trigger, developers of a sequel have gotten a cease-and-desist letter.
(Credit: GameSpot)Last week, Square Enix, maker of the original Chrono Trigger--an RPG originally released for the SNES in 1995 that garnered a huge cult following--sent a cease-and-desist letter (PDF) to a team of developers who'd been working on a "true" sequel to the game dubbed Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes. (The followup to the first game, called Chrono Cross, did not continue the storyline from the original game; thus the general consensus among fans was that it was not a true sequel).
The letter was sent just a few weeks before Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes was to be released.
In the letter, the team is instructed to stop all development and destroy all materials relating to Crimson Echoes, and not to release the ROM.
Created by a team of fans using Chrono Trigger sprites (2D graphics), Crimson Echoes has been in development for four and a half years.
I know I have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight here, but really, in all probability, this had to be one of the more likely scenarios, right? I'm sure the team made the game out of love for the property and knew there was a chance this could happen. Similar projects, however have been completed and released, so why not this one? Who knows really, but I'm sure every company would have their own reaction to something like this. Just sad to see four and a half years of work go spinning down the drain.
I hope the developers can take what they've learned while developing their title and apply it elsewhere--hopefully an original property or something they get permission to make beforehand.
I feel for the fans who were anticipating this, though. Seriously, if there was a fan-made true sequel to the first Phantasy Star that got canceled weeks before release, I'd be pretty irked too.
Eric Franklin refused to write a bio, saying, "Why are you bothering me about this bio business again? If I wanted people to know more about me, I'd send them to the Inside CNET Labs Podcast" (shameless plug). E-mail Eric. 
Square Enix needs to get on the ball with the Chrono series. It's like it gets the backburner to their other series' successes. Chrono Cross was much less successful than Trigger, and many fans called it a letdown for the reason Eric Franklin said - the story wasn't a true sequel. Even the DS remake of Chrono Trigger was a bit of a disappointment - same graphics, added cut scenes that were already made for the PS remake, and the only new things were dungeons that were just meaningless sidequests.
Blah. This upsets me.
I was the main director of this project. I just wanted to give you a few comments on this article.
a) At the chronocompendium we definitely do think that Chrono Cross was a sequel ( I wasn't sure by your article if you were referring to the "general fans" or us). This game was an interquel between the two games
b) We were hoping that this game would be considered a work of interactive fan art by SquareEnix. Falling in the realm of someone drawing a picture of Crono, or maybe more akin to if someone made an animated flash game. These exist in numerous placed.
c) This game was a "Rom Hack". Which basically meant we would distribute a "Patch" to the original rom with our content on it. This Patch would simply look at the original rom and say "at the 20th byte of the rom, add these 40 bytes, at the 40th byte of the....". It is our understanding that if you own the game (which believe me, we own multiple copies of this game as you can probably guess we are almost obsessed) you are allowed to have a ROM backup. We were adamant that our fans actually own the game if they had this hack. To the point that the first time you boot up the game (i.e. if you have no saves) you were shown a cutscene of me and the developers saying "If you don't own the game go buy it now, otherwise turn it off". Sorry this point got a little long :)
d) This game was most definitely not made with ill intentions. We are probably SE biggest fans.
Anyways, we knew we were operating in a gray area. And that is what I really feel like is the good story here. Has technology evolved to the point where FanArt can enter this new medium. Can we move beyond making pictures/novels and actually create full new games. Several games support modification, for example the game CounterStrike started off as a mod of the game Half Life. Valve saw this modification and actually bought the game from them. (Note we would never accept money for the game, to the point where we don't put ads on the chronocompendium incase peole viewed it as revenue after we released. If SE wants the game they can just take it from us no questions asked).
I answer many questions here:
http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,7420.0.html
And have been browsing the internet trying to give people insight/comments. If you have any please let me know.
Thanks!
--JP
P.S. This was in the readme 5 years ago:
The fans and members of Kajar Laboratories acknowledge that under
M. Kramer Manufacturing Company, Inc. v. Andrews, 783 F.2d 421 (4th Cir. 1986),
ROM altering and modification is illegal, and the demo has been made without the consent of Square Enix. However, Kajar Laboratories wishes that Square Enix view it as a piece of fanfiction or other fan-related work, falling in the general body of fan community proceedings that are too numerous to prosecute and summarily have a positive effect on the popularity of its games. Should Square Enix perceive the project as a threat to its sales or intellectual property, Kajar Laboratories will immediately cease operation on the project and comply with Square Enix's orders.
I think what really makes your story interesting is that after more than four years of work, SE decided at the 11th hour to pull the plug. I don't know their reasoning behind that timing, but that's frustrating even to people (like myself) who didn't work on and was not anticipating the release. It just seems so punitive.
My comment about CC not being considered a true sequel by fans is based on reviews I've read, comments from friends and posts on gaming forums like NeoGAF.
Like I said, it's obvious to me that this was made with love and I'm sure there are at least a few developers at SE that admired what you guys were doing. I think probably the lawyers and execs thought different. It reminds me of that great scene in the movie Casino, where the mob bosses are decided whether or not to wack Joe Pesci?s character for fear of him turning state?s evidence. Every boss in the room considers him loyal soldier who will not betray them, except the main boss. He says ?Look... why take a chance??.
Even if you guys had no ill intent, it just takes one important guy at SE to see you as a threat, even though the chances are good that something like this could actually benefit them.
OK, I know I went pretty far to make that point and I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. You've probably thought about this from every conceivable perspective at this point.
Anyway, I really appreciate you coming here and hope you guys can apply your talents elsewhere with a more positive outcome.
- by NervClaX May 15, 2009 9:26 AM PDT
- Creators in Japan have always been tolerant towards "dojin" works made by fans of the original, especially with manga. There are probably hundreds of Chrono Trigger "dojinshi" floating around the book stores in Akihabara. Dojin games aren't uncommon, either.
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(5 Comments)I guess SE felt that the ROM was a threat and if they didn't do something they would be seen as complicit in actions that violate the EULA.
Give it a little time to cool down and leak it on the torrent sites, anyway.