Silicon Knights isn't done with the Too Human series just yet. Despite the fact it's been nearly three years since the first chapter of the planned trilogy dropped (and subsequently flopped) for Xbox 360, studio head Denis Dyack has stated he's keen on finishing what his team has started.
"We intend to finish the trilogy but no comment beyond that," said Dyack in a brief chat with Industry Gamers, noting, "You know, there's very public litigation around that."
The litigation in question stems from a 2007 claim by Silicon Knights that the Unreal Engine 3 used to craft Too Human was delivered to the studio in an unfinished state, and therefore its creators, Epic Games, owed Silicon Knights some cash to make up for the headaches, delays and hardships this created. The lawsuit even went so far as to accuse Epic of knowingly sabotaging its Unreal Engine 3 licensees in a bid to fund the company's own games and hinder any competition. Naturally, Epic Games denied the accusations and have been attempting to have the case dismissed from courts, but to no avail.
This March, the courts deemed Silicon Knight's litigations worthy of a full trial; a decision Dyack spun as a victory, telling the press, "When Epic first went public about our case to the press, they said that our claims were without merit. Two separate federal court judges have now disagreed with Epic, and have ruled that the case does have merit...We are very confident the jury will see the truth behind Epic's actions."
Epic Games later downplayed Dyack's assessment, telling Kotaku, “Allowing those claims to move forward to a jury is not a ruling on their merits. The court simply concluded that the disputed evidence should be heard and resolved by the jury... Epic remains confident that it will be fully vindicated at trial.”
Part of Silicon Knight's lawsuit calls for a cut of Epic Games' profits from Gears of War, which is a long shot to say the least, but perhaps one of the ways Dyack plans to finance the next two Too Human games.
[Source: Industry Gamers, GamePolitics, Kotaku]
May 3, 2011
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