It applied only to “auxiliary games” so anything using the primary engine was ok e.g. running in the fog for assassins creed or practicing moves in a combat game.
It applied only to US and Japan so anywhere else was unrestricted. The entire PAL region was unaffected.
But also:
The patent was held by Namco / Bandai Namco, they are a prolific publisher but made very limited use of their ability to use loading screen mini games freely.
The patent expired in 2015, despite this very few games have used loading screen mini games since.
The source the Tweektown article is quoting also says:
Anticipation is so high that some competing game publishers are waiting as long as possible to commit to their release dates for the fall, according to people familiar with their deliberations who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The publishers want to see whether GTA 6 will make its deadline or slip into 2026, these people say, and they’re determined to keep their own games far, far away.
This is probably more interesting, that some upcoming games which don’t have release dates may be waiting for this before they commit to a schedule is somewhat noteworthy.
It closely copies the branding of Funko Fusion by 10:10 Games.
The title and account have been pulled.
Both match leafo’s description:
[…] some person made a fan page for an existing Funko Pop video game (Funko Fusion), with links to the official site and screenshots of the game.
[…] I had removed the page and disabled the account.
I think Iwantmyname may be the worst player in this story.
Everyone else kind of did what they were expected to do:
Itch provides a platform for user generated content and took down some questionable content when asked.
Funko is an IP based toy company and asked a tech company to protect their IP online
BrandShield is a fucking cancer of a service that acted aggressively to protect its client’s interests
But:
Iwantmyname is meant to provide a domain name registration service, it’s a cutthroat industry where often times customer service is viewed as an unnecessary cost, but itch was their client and they should have been helping itch respond to the notice in a manner that allowed it to continue to exist. Instead they were willing to shut it down without any real dialog.
The rest might be decent business partners if you are looking for their kind of service but Iwantmyname isn’t to be trusted.
I’m all for platform level comparability (one of my major gripes with xbox BC was that BC of original xbox and 360 titles was implemented per-title and while some were supported most of the library was left behind).
But from a pragmatic perspective my home PC has always been Windows and preservation efforts that allow me to run the games I know on the hardware I am running will mean more to me.
I support the principal and encourage the cross platform efforts but its unlikely to mean much to me personally until its bundled in with a plug and play solution like Batocera.
I’ve edited my initial comment to reflect that not everyone will share my priorities.
Going forward, even if a game is no longer available for sale on GOG, as part of the GOG Preservation Program, it will continue to be maintained and updated by us, ensuring it remains compatible with modern and future systems.
It dropped on PS+ at launch, I tried to play that weekend and the servers were empty … It couldn’t find me a match. I changed server region and still no match.
It was DOA, I’m surprised they supported it for as long as they did.
Or at least don’t do anymore than choose your preferred platform and then buy it. Its available on Windows, Linux, Mac, PS, Xbox and Switch but not on Android or iOS.
Its a couple of bucks on steam at the moment, included in PSN if you do that, or full price everywhere else.
I never had a C64 and was pretty jealous of this series.
I played a few DOS based clones and various ports and they were pretty cool but from what I’ve seen everything they’ve done with the franchise since 2000 has been soulless.
The games listed here are included on at least six separate “best/greatest of all time” lists from different publications (inclusive of all time periods, platforms, and genres), as chosen by their editorial staffs.
This excludes every new title until six publications update their list. Then of course the title has to be good enough to be included on those lists.
They have 30+ bundles listed at the moment and I’m sure some of them are great but I’ve unsubscribed from their notifications, they’ve lost some focus and quality control from when each bundle was a notable event.