Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / Who owns the rights to Lemmings?

Author
Message
Super Nova
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Jun 2005
Location: Earth
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 09:12
Link
I have spent the past few days trying to find who owns the rights to Lemmings because I am making a Lemmings remake using graphics from the original Lemmings game.

Research has shown that a few different companies have created and published Lemmings since its original creator DMA Design. It appears that either Sony or Take 2 currently own the rights, but I cannot confirm which one.

I do not look to make money off of this remake and would release it for free along with a level editor but I know that since I am using their graphics (which I acquired by downloading Lemmini), it is technically illegal.

I would like to contact them to find out if it would ok for me to release the game or not. If not, I will have to replace all of the graphics with my own, which will take alot of time and will ultimately make it not feel like Lemmings.
It would look better and really be a Lemmings remake if I could use the original graphics, but rules are rules and I do not want to do anything that would cause any trouble.

If anyone knows who to contact or has anything to add, that would help alot!

"What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion."
Back to top
Profile PM Email
BatVink
Moderator
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Apr 2003
Location: Gods own County, UK
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 09:42
Link
It's probably Rockstar North.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Siddy
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 16th Dec 2008
Location:
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 11:13
Link
lol, you mean Take 2 or maybe EA...
Back to top
Profile PM
Grog Grueslayer
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 30th May 2005
Playing: Green Hell
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 11:47
Link
Electronic Arts didn't get Take Two Interactive... thank God.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
David R
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Sep 2003
Location: 3.14
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 12:17
Link
Team17 developed, and Sony Computer Entertainment published the most recent one (PSP). Although I assume the franchise was licensed from someone else, maybe Sony picked up the remnants of whatever held the rights to it?

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Van B
Moderator
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 12:59
Link
The copyright will be held by Psygnosis, who are in turn owned by Sony, so Sony hold the copyright.

Personally, I think that there's versions of Lemmings all over the place - so why not change the graphics, maybe make the lems bigger and higher resolution, maybe come up with some new moves for them.

I think that taking a sidestep from a direct clone would get more people playing the game. I really liked Lemmings2 as well, yet nobody bother remaking that - must be all the mad weapons, would be quite a big job. But my point is that there's a lot you could add onto a lemmings engine.


Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
Back to top
Profile PM Email
David Gervais
Retired Moderator
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 28th Sep 2005
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 13:18
Link
Turn the lemmings into robots and call the game diggerBOTS! LoL

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Cheers!

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Chris K
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Oct 2003
Location: Lake Hylia
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 16:27
Link
DMA didn't turn into Rockstar North, they just got the GTA license - DMA turned into Realtime Worlds, who made Crackdown.

-= Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals =-
Back to top
Profile PM
David R
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Sep 2003
Location: 3.14
Posted: 18th Jun 2009 17:27 Edited at: 18th Jun 2009 17:36
Link
Quote: "DMA didn't turn into Rockstar North, they just got the GTA license"


DMA did become Rockstar North - they are the original developers of GTA. After DMA were bought up by Gremlin Interactive (and Gremlin were sold to InfoGrames) I believe the name change/being under the Rockstar umbrella was one of the ways of breaking contractual differences they had (They had a previous arrangement with BMG to distribute GTA which couldn't be honored if they were moved around by InfoGrames and eventually to T2).

Realtime Worlds was founded by a single person from DMA, not DMA itself

EDIT: One thing that is somewhat confusing, however, is that DMA worked with another Rockstar studio prior to actually becoming part of its 'label'. I don't quite understand the mechanics of how and why that happened, since I was under the impression that Rockstar North was the main Rockstar studio that created the whole 'label' surrounding it

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Super Nova
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Jun 2005
Location: Earth
Posted: 19th Jun 2009 02:19
Link
Hmm... Thanks for the input everyone, looks like I will just remake the graphics myself. Gonna have to be stick figures for now

I do plan on having different modes such as Kill em ALL!!! mode where your objective is to find a way to kill all of the Lemmings, (er..., I mean Sticklings) instead of saving them all.

It wouldn't be hard to add new skills so maybe I will head in that direction aswell. But I definitatly want to keep classic mode for all the hardcore Lemmings fans out there, myself included!

"What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion."
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Grog Grueslayer
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 30th May 2005
Playing: Green Hell
Posted: 19th Jun 2009 03:27 Edited at: 19th Jun 2009 03:27
Link
While your making/testing it you can use any graphics you want. You only have to change them when you want to sell the game.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 21st Jun 2009 19:27
Link
Quote: "You only have to change them when you want to sell the game."

That should be "You only have to change them when you make it available to others". Selling it is irrelevant when it comes to distributing copyright material.


Chart data provided with kind permission from ELSPA
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Lonnehart
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 17th Apr 2009
Location:
Posted: 22nd Jun 2009 05:29
Link
Super Nova said:
Quote: "I do plan on having different modes such as Kill em ALL!!! mode where your objective is to find a way to kill all of the Lemmings, (er..., I mean Sticklings) instead of saving them all."


Y'know? You could just make the game based on this extermination idea, except give a high score for being able to do so using the fewest items and in the shortest amount of time...

In the beginning there was nothing. There'll be nothing in the end...
Back to top
Profile PM
Super Nova
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 14th Jun 2005
Location: Earth
Posted: 22nd Jun 2009 09:40
Link
@Lonnehart
Yep, anything is possible, soon as I have the graphics redone, I will post up a demo in the WIP and I will add as many different modes as I can.

"What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion."
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Grog Grueslayer
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 30th May 2005
Playing: Green Hell
Posted: 22nd Jun 2009 12:24
Link
Quote: "That should be "You only have to change them when you make it available to others". Selling it is irrelevant when it comes to distributing copyright material."


Yeah, you're right. Of course most copyright holders only notice when other people make money off their copyright... money that should be theirs.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
Jeku
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Jul 2003
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 22nd Jun 2009 17:18
Link
Quote: "Of course most copyright holders only notice when other people make money off their copyright... money that should be theirs."


I think legally it doesn't make a difference, and I've noticed just as many IP holders go after the free fan games.

North Korea 2007 Tour Pictures
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2025-06-01 10:15:12
Your offset time is: 2025-06-01 10:15:12