Help stop Vivendi's stalemate!

[iceycat]

Below follows an email which I sent to Vivendi. We may not be able to tell them when to release it, but we can let them know that if they do sit on it and play the stalemate card that they will sure lose alot of money doing so. If everybody sends them an email like this then they are going to get our point. Steam allows us for the first time to have some push over where our money gets distributed, other publishers could do what they wanted and all we could do is deal with it, but Steam gives us some leverage to push with! Yeah this may all be internet speculation, but I think I'll let them know what I'll do if it isn't so that they will at least have to think twice about making the move.
Here's what I sent:

"I am writing with great concern regarding the case of V.U.G. vs Valve and the implications on release of Half Life 2. It has been made known that Vivendi upon recieving a valid final release candidate has until 6 months to then release the game according to the 2001 SPA. It is further speculated that in an attempt to make Valve back off from their legal pursuits against Vivendi that you may hold off as long as possible within this six month window in a game of perverbial chicken. I hope that such speculation is just speculation, however be aware that myself and many like me will intentionally make the choice to obtain Half Life 2 via Valve's Steam client rather than Vivendi's retail package if the publisher will play such games with us. If a final release candidate has been submitted there is no other reason for Vivendi to delay before announcing Gold status with a release date.

Let me make it perfectly clear that I would much rather have the actual box with a physical disc than a downloaded version from Steam, but if Vivendi does decide to hurt us all by a childish attempt to punish Valve I WILL get the distribution directly from Valve instead rather than line the pockets of a pubisher who cares more about bieng right than taking care of it's customers.

Once again I sincerely hope this is all speculation from online circles, but if it does prove to be the case I'll give my money to Valve first if Vivendi does decide to play that game. Otherwise I look forward to a speedy release with my boxed physical copy of Half Life 2 very soon. "

-Iceycat

 

[Yombi]

gawd how many more of these are there going to be...just wait till thy say / do something...

 

[SFLUFAN]

Please tell me you used spell check with that email - and just so you know, an ACTUAL WRITTEN LETTER is far more effective than email.

 

[Platinum]

that is a stupid idea man ... none of your facts are actually factual ... nice try though ...

 

[Lobster]

You do understand VU havnt acctully done anything yet, all the guy said was the contract gives them 6 months, but they feel pressure to release in the first month is against the contract, which is true, but it doesnt mean they arnt going to do that anyway.

 

[Asuka]

I cant bear and read that. No more of this plz. Nice try anyway.

 

[iceycat]

Make sure you are reading what I said here, I aknowledge this is speculation as of now, but it gives them something to think twice about if it is going to happen. It's proactive rather than reactive. It just states if they screw with us we don't have to take it. If it doesn't happen no harm done.

 

[Kincaid]

Make sure you are reading what I said here, I aknowledge this is speculation as of now, but it gives them something to think twice about if it is going to happen. It's proactive rather than reactive. It just states if they screw with us we don't have to take it. If it doesn't happen no harm done.

You think you have more power than you do.....

 

[DrunkPanda]

don't act like VU are the bad guys and valve are the good guys. i think it's pretty F'd up that valve are doing everything they can to keep their publisher from making money. and for all those fanboys that claimed that "valve made hl2 completely for the fans and couldn't give a shit about money, in fact they would sell their homes and all their possessions andjust in order to complete development of hl2", actions speak louder than words guys

 

[Mr-Fusion]

You have my sword.

 

[HumaNoiD]

im with you.
they hold it - say good bye to vivendi and say hello to steam! :flame:

 

[switch]

It will take much more than an email to influence VU's releasing of the game, If they choose to keep hold of it longer than November, then I think some serious petitions, boycotting, and co-ordinated emails are needed.

 

[iceycat]

Glad to see everyone in here is so positive! Yes actions do speak louder than words thats why I'm trying to do something rather than say " Oh, darn I guess I'm just at thier mercy."

To say that Valve is not about their fans though has to be just about the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. How many other companies out there respond to almost every email they get no matter how petty or repeated the questions are? Pretty much everyone at Valve has taken the time to answer our questions all the way up to Gabe himself. Lets not forget the way they stand behind the mod community all these years and have stated to do the samewith HL2. Not too many companies out there do as much for the community as Valve does.

 

[boomyak]

wow, everyone can't wait to stomp out this guy for speaking his mind

iceycat's mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore, and he's willing to fight on behalf of all of us, and i'd personally like to applaud all of you who shot him down, you're the real heros

he stated MANY times that at this point he knew it was only speculation, but the entire first page of this forum is ALL "VUG needs to die etc." threads, so you might have thought more people would be behind him, it's sad really to see how fast people will resort to the negative.

whatever, idiots are abound everywhere

anyways, i'll definately be getting all of my fellow gamers to write letters to vivendi once the final rc has been submitted, from what i understand there's nothing stopping valve from publiscizing that VUG has stopped asking for more RCs. if anything it would work in valve's favour as to illustrate how vivendi might screw them if the world knows it's ready to go into production. so the moral of the story kiddies? MAKE AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE! WE ALL HAVE A VOICE! SO SHOUT IT! BE HEARD! VOTE KERRY! lol sorry, that just felt like ti belonged there aswell

 

[Geno]

Recieving = receiving
perverbial = proverbial

 

[Absinthe]

I can't believe people are still shoving their tongues up Valve's ass like this.

Vivendi has done jack. So let's all just lower our weapons, calm down, and wait for them to actually do something that's hate-worthy.

ADDED: And this is pointless. An e-mail to VU isn't going to solve any of your problems.

 

[mortiz]

It's a nasty situation but there's little we can do except sit back and wait to see what happens. Remember these guys are professional's, they know what's right for their business and holding Half-Life 2 for 6 months (which will affect sales, because remember 90% of people who play game's out there aren't as bothered by HL2 as we are) is not the wisest choice, especially to try and get VALVe to back down from a rather small lawsuit which should remain in the courts.

If you think about all this logically, you'll see that it would be stupid for VU do use all their six months up on the contract, and they know that.

 

[Wolf]

don't act like VU are the bad guys and valve are the good guys.

Vivendi has done jack. So let's all just lower our weapons, calm down, and wait for them to actually do something that's hate-worthy.

Both of you do realise that VU is trying to obtain the IP for HL in a counter claim don't you? You do realise that their case against Valve is pathetic and based more on vindictive insecurity about Steam rather than any legal merit? You realise that VU has pulled this shit before with CZ yes?

It will be a cold day in hell before I start taking the side of the greedy middle man publisher over developers.

 

[mortiz]

CS:CZ was a weak game so it made sense for VU to delay it until there was little competition on the shelves (I believe the original date was set for the holiday period, a time of extraordinary competition, go figure). HL2 is, from hints given by review mag's, one of the strongest games this year, it doesn't have to worry about competition.

 

[Absinthe]

Both of you do realise that VU is trying to obtain the IP for HL in a counter claim don't you? You do realise that their case against Valve is pathetic and based more on vindictive insecurity about Steam rather than any legal merit? You realise that VU has pulled this shit before with CZ yes?

Both sides are acting like stupid children. Neither one are saints, so please don't accuse me of siding with the "greedy middle men".

But this up-in-arms attitude is ridiculous. And for what?

"Well, Vivendi COULD delay the game for another six months..."

Wow. I COULD kill my mother. That doesn't mean I will. Vivendi isn't stupid, and if they're the greedy pricks this community tends to paint them as, then they know full well that delaying the game for that long is financially stupid. You people are freaking out over a stupid possibility. Vivendi has not delayed the game yet. It's merely known that they have the power to do so. But screw all that crap. Some people are just desparate to find a witch to burn.

Perhaps I'm just not in-tune with this "Go Valve! F*ck VU!" spirit that conveniently pops up whenever Vivendi is mentioned. Vivendi has been in decline for a while now, and it obviously thinks it's getting a raw deal here. Wrong or right, I don't blame them for pulling some of this crap.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

They could have delayed condition-zero for 6 months and did! Because they proved their idiocy in the past a lot of us are getting worried they may do it again.

 

[Absinthe]

They could have delayed condition-zero for 6 months and did! Because they proved their idiocy in the past a lot of us are getting worried they may do it again.

Condition Zero wouldn't have held up had it been released when Valve wanted it. That's my opinion, any way.

This "guilty until proven innocent" shit is really disconcerting.

 

[killahsin-[CE]]

I can't believe people are still shoving their tongues up Valve's ass like this.

Vivendi has done jack. So let's all just lower our weapons, calm down, and wait for them to actually do something that's hate-worthy.

ADDED: And this is pointless. An e-mail to VU isn't going to solve any of your problems.

Vivendi is trying to catch22 valve out of their IP. So yes i think VUg has done more than jack. Unless you want hl3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 and however much more vu wants to milk the cow done by gearbox i suggest you think about what your saying. I'm not upset about vug saying they can delay for 6 months, as i am about them trying to 'legally' steal valves IP to half life.

Condition Zero wouldn't have held up had it been released when Valve wanted it. That's my opinion, any way.

This "guilty until proven innocent" shit is really disconcerting.

Nothing was changed from the initial gold in CZ from when VUg released it. They delayed it 6 months in spite of Steam.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Condition Zero wouldn't have held up had it been released when Valve wanted it. That's my opinion, any way.

This "guilty until proven innocent" shit is really disconcerting.

It didn't hold up when it was released either. It was met with harsh criticism from people who bought it and received a plethora of mediocre reviews.

Had it been released in 2003...well the same probably would have happened. It's a game that was released after it's time. It should have hit stores in 2001 or 2002 but by the time it was finally ready the only people it really appealed to were current CS fans who wanted slightly better models, sounds and BOTS! The rest of the market was gearing up for Far Cry, UT2004 and Painkiller.

Vivendi already have blood on their hands so to speak. I'd like to see how they fair in court.

 

[Wolf]

I'm not upset about vug saying they can delay for 6 months, as i am about them trying to 'legally' steal valves IP to half life.

Good to see someone engaging their brain before they post. Anyone who is playing apologist for VU trying to appropriate the HL IP is an idiot.

While I don't approve of this overly litigious world we live in at least Valve's suit is based in reality. They do have a right to protect their work and its use in commercial situations. VU's approach is just typical corporate BS - outspend the opposition in a fivilous lawsuit such that bargaining power can be gained for a settlement.

 

[Wolf]

..so please don't accuse me of siding with the "greedy middle men".

I will continue to do so until you can demostrate you actually understand the suits between the two parties. My comment has nothing to do with speculation about the six-month thing...

Wow. I COULD kill my mother. That doesn't mean I will. Vivendi isn't stupid, and if they're the greedy pricks this community tends to paint them as, then they know full well that delaying the game for that long is financially stupid.

Yep - that is all speculation, but it is VU's approach to the whole thing that is ridiculous. VU is a publisher - they are nothing; Valve is a self funded developer, they are everything...
That position has nothing to do with being a sycophant for Valve and everything to do with putting developers ahead of publishers... It has everthing to do with the legal and moral merits of their respective cases.

 

[Wraithen]

just remember, emails aren't worth the paper they're printed on, and one written letter has little to no value. But if everyone on here wrote them with something similar?

I'm not saying we're right to do such things, at least not yet, for now it just sounds like a lot of bluffing and posturing on both parts but it does seem to me that there is cause for concern. After all, this didn't come out until the game was (apparently) finished and Valve had no delay leverage to use itself.

It's a crime when a pure thing as playing games is ruined by politics and game playing.

 

[Striker]

GJ Geno you know how to spell... damn i hate when people do this.

 

[Chode]

How about no?

 

[Neutrino]

How about no?

I'm with you there. No petition or mass e-mails are going to do squat about the situation. All you can do is sit back and wait.

 

[killahsin-[CE]]

No the only thing that will change this current situation is a mass boycott. When i say mass i mean that the 1 million current hl players combine forces and contact their local media outlets or a larger mass media outlet such as cnn or fox news, sky etc. LEt them know about the boycott and the amount of people behind it. Thats the only way you will change VUg's attitude, is by mere numbers and the public spotlight. But can you imagine the signatures and comments: Doodz w3 4r3 g01ng 2 pwn v1v3nd1!111!! etc etc. So I highly doubt that will happen, lol.

 

[fluX]

No the only thing that will change this current situation is a mass boycott. When i say mass i mean that the 1 million current hl players combine forces and contact their local media outlets or a larger mass media outlet such as cnn or fox news, sky etc. LEt them know about the boycott and the amount of people behind it. Thats the only way you will change VUg's attitude, is by mere numbers and the public spotlight. But can you imagine the signatures and comments: Doodz w3 4r3 g01ng 2 pwn v1v3nd1!111!! etc etc. So I highly doubt that will happen, lol.

me too. And it won't change a thing, this is big-tiime powerplay worth millions.

And what would be the threat:
'We are so desperate to have the game that we won't buy it!'

Very convincing, indeed. :imu:

 

[Daiceman9]

wow, everyone can't wait to stomp out this guy for speaking his mind

iceycat's mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore, and he's willing to fight on behalf of all of us, and i'd personally like to applaud all of you who shot him down, you're the real heros

Did you just tell us its bad to shoot down others opinions, and then try and shoot down ours?

 

[evil^milk]

could valve just change publisher and avoid all this mess?

 

[KagePrototype]

could valve just change publisher and avoid all this mess?

They have a contract to fulfill.

 

[SFLUFAN]

Nope - VALVe had a contractural agreement with Sierra who was acquired by VU.

 

[killahsin-[CE]]

I actually support what Icey is trying to do. I hope more gamers start to take a role in understanding the aspects of what publishers do to developers daily, heh. The more widespread the knowledge the sooner the 'kinks' (if you can call them that) will get worked out of the system. A publishers biggest fear is its bottom line. You are a publishers bottom line. If a publisher starts to see they have alienated their main consumer base, to the point where it will have a detrimental effect on its titles across the board, it will make changes or be forced to by its directors. This not only is representative of the total sum of the gamer, but also of the game reporter. The more media outlets that not only report this type of behavior, but take a stance against it, the faster changes are made. Thus is the ultimate power of the internet.

To few realize it, and to few understand it. The essence of it is getting it all in one particular place, to see the mass amount of people that are alienated. A well informed an intelligent gamer is a deadly weapon.

 

[SFLUFAN]

I do as well.

I'm writing an actual letter (not email) to the LA hq on my personal letterhead and stating my displeasure with this turn of events and if it appears that VU is deliberately delaying the game's release, that I will actively engage in a boycott of VU products and encourage others to do so.

 

[iceycat]

I do as well.

I'm writing an actual letter (not email) to the LA hq on my personal letterhead and stating my displeasure with this turn of events and if it appears that VU is deliberately delaying the game's release, that I will actively engage in a boycott of VU products and encourage others to do so.

Great! Glad to see there are one or two positive people in here among all the defeatists. Email, snail mail, phone calls whatever as long as we tell Vivendi that IF they take this course of action we will take ours then we can affect change.

As far as everyone else goes this is the group mentality that people who don't vote use. "Oh, my one little vote won't change the world so why bother?" Then sit back and whine when the person they don't like takes office. If you are content to sit on your butt when you could take action then you have no real right to whine about it when other people excercise that right, or when events go the way you didn't want them to thanks to your inaction.

This is not hate mongering versus Vivendi as so many of you seem to think. They have not even acted upon this yet THIS IS PREMPTIVE. It is easier to sway a decision then to get it reversed after it's already been completed. The original post clearly states that. I have seen this kind of thing work before and in fact have participated in several mass contact programs to help sway a company's decision. If enough people let them know where they are coming from they will listen because the consumer is telling them how they will spend their money if they don't. It does work, I've seen it.

 

[DrunkPanda]

Both of you do realise that VU is trying to obtain the IP for HL in a counter claim don't you? You do realise that their case against Valve is pathetic and based more on vindictive insecurity about Steam rather than any legal merit? You realise that VU has pulled this shit before with CZ yes?

It will be a cold day in hell before I start taking the side of the greedy middle man publisher over developers.

i'm not saying VU are the good guys and valve are the bad guys. i'm just saying VU isn't the evil greedy company you guys paint it as and valve aren't the saints that are trying to put an end to all diseases and world hunger. VU is struggling to stay in business (so i've heard, i don't know firsthand) so i don't know how you guys can't see that they would be very pissed about steam. Both VU and valve have done bad things to each other, it's not a case of VU being the bully and valve being the helpless little kid