Yesterday we learned the news that Bitcomposer Entertainment had purchased the right to make Stalker video games from the estate of the author of the original novels (Roadside Picnic) Strugatsky.
Over at Gamasutra a back and forth of statements came in as the story was updated:
Eugene Kuchma, who works with sales and marketing at GSC Game World, issued the following statements:
"In view of the rumors appearing in press, we find it necessary to inform that GSC Game World and Sergey Grigorovich [GSC CEO] remain to be the sole owners of all the intellectual property rights to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series and the brand overall, including all the trademarks, the game universe, the technology etc. This can be easily verified with the trademark services online."
"From time to time news on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. brand purchase by this or that company appear over the Internet. We relate such a keen interest in the brand to its exceptional popularity."
Meanwhile, Bitcomposer seem adamant that not only do they hold the license, but GSC Gameworld never owned it:
"We hold the license for PC and video games from the Strugatsky brothers. The owner of the license was the Strugatsky brothers. As far as we know, GSC never had the license for S.T.A.L.K.E.R."
Bitcomposer served as publisher/distributor of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat in some regions and GSC Gameworld added the following slightly venomous remark:
<i>"We have doubts regarding the mentioned product by BitComposer (the publisher of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat in some territories), since the latter has significant debts in terms of fulfilling the obligations under the existing contract between our companies."
It sounds like we haven't heard the last of this. Not by a mile.