Greetings All,

Just found this out via Nodwick.com, but it seems that Topps Brand has decided that they do not want to be in the game business anymore and is divesting itself of WizKids. Don't they own the core IP of Shadowrun and Battletech? I know that other companies are making products in those lines now, but I thought that WizKids still owned the right to take it all back or shut it down if they saw fit.

Blackat

WizKids notice

The Battletech IP is still owned by FASA, who licenses it to both Red Brick and Living Room Games.

As for Shadowrun, all I know is that Adam has basically said that everything is cool. He has not elaborated here though, to the best of my knowledge.

Anything that happens to Wizkids doesn't change existing and binding contracts. If Wizkids doesn't exist anymore, any rights that company had will go back to Topps, including any contracts that have to do with these rights. So for Catalyst, that doesn't change anything: They are producing SR stuff because they have the right to do so (by contract), and that contract is still valid.

What happens after the contract has expired is anyone's guess, but I think it most likely that Topps will try to sell the rights to Catalyst (or any other bidder). For Catalyst, that may even be a good thing happening, as they would have more liberties with regard to SR rights if they owned them directly, instead of "burrowing" them from Wizkids/Topps.

i thought fasa was gone...

I don't think the corp shell is gone, which is what would hold the IP.

zombie corp's, gotta love em...

Looky here: initial CGL Statement , and here: CGL follow up statement

You mean Earthdawn, which is still owned by FASA and licensed to Red Brick [but no longer Living Room Games, who are, as best I know, no longer publishing anything.]

My bad. I did mean Earthdawn. Not enough coffee ... It was late ... Too many drugs ... I was tired ... I'm senile ... Not enough drugs ... Pick an excuse or two to suit your taste.

That's news about LRG though. At least it's news to me.

Gee, ghost cors holding copyrights but producing nothnig and sellnig them out to other corps that disappear? Jeez, who says SR isn't real. I think I dated a couple of orks in hs.

Yep, those orks make great athletes.

Copyright and patents are big biz, and possibly the biggest export for USA (so no wonder that there is a big push to get the rest of the world to view them the USA way).

Not missing out on much IMO. The Red Brick stuff is much better. Sometimes you can judge a book by it's cover.

And is probably the future, that is, if lulu get their shipment costs sorted...

Basically, FASA only exists on paper, and acts as a holding house for some of the various IP's. Earthdawn is one; I believe VOR and Crimson Skies are another.

didnt microsoft gain full control over crimson skies thru fasa interactive? same fasa interactive thats now defunct after that shadowrun xbox game?

AFAIK VOR is now owned by its original creator who hasn't since found a new company to produce it (perhaps he's given up).

AFAIK Microsoft has always owned Crimson Skies and only licensed FASA to make the miniatures game.

Wait 'til you've seen the Kratas book.

IIRC, Crimson Skies the game has stayed with FASA. The video game rights left with FASA Interactive, as well as the Mechwarrior and Shadowrun video game lines. But FASA interactive never held the RPG rights to those games.

Who got Renegade Legion?

He does? I know FASA screwed him around for over a year after agreeing to turn the IP over to him, then I lost contact.