Update: Autumn Moon has issued a press release about the break as well. Click Read More for the details.
It looks like Bill Tiller's company Autumn Moon Entertainment and their upcoming game A Vampyre Story won't be published by adventure funding upstart Bad Brain Entertainment after all, as the two companies have decided to go their separate ways. The announcement was pretty short and to the point:<:MORENEWS:>
We are very sorry about the way things turned out to be, but we have to look forward. BBE and Bill Tiller decided to quit the deal because we couldn't come to an agreement on various topics and Bill Tiller want's to handle publishing quite different from what BBE's way would have been.Many fans won't find this too surprising, as Bad Brain - once seen as a potential financial godsend to the adventure game community - has time and again misled or confused fans with messages on their website, most notably with claims about reviving Sam & Max Freelance Police that went nowhere, a promise of a Vampyre Story demo that was never going to exist, and insinuations that Bad Brain was going to charge fans to view concept art from their upcoming titles.
We wish Bill Tiller and his team all the best on A Vampyre Story and hope that they will soon be founding Autumn Moon Entertainment and find a more fitting publisher for their game and their way to work.
That said, it's apparently all water under the bridge now. We wish both Autumn Moon and Bad Brain the best wherever their separate paths take them.
Autumn Moon has also sent out a press release about the break. Here it is:
Autumn Moon and Bad Brain Part Ways
(Encinitas, CA) Autumn Moon Entertainment (AME) announced that the company has terminated its relationship with Bad Brain Entertainment, a new entrant in the Video Game publishing business based in Germany. AME is currently working on its launch title, A Vampyre Story. AME is composed of former Lucas Arts employees and committed to reviving the adventure genre of game for which Lucas was once known.
?While it is unfortunate and a setback that we were unable to come to terms with Bad Brain, we remain committed to bring AVS (A Vampyre Story) to market as we believe that there is a strong fan-base for this type of game world wide and we love working on this type of game? says Mike Kirchoff, Director of Business Development for Autumn Moon.
Autumn Moon?s CEO, Bill Tiller, added that ?Bad Brain?s enthusiasm and shared dedication to this genre attracted us to them and we are certain that they will grow into a great company in the future, but at this point we have elected to seek a publisher elsewhere. We are happy that our title has brought attention to Bad Brain and appreciate their efforts thus far in promoting the game, but we feel it is time to move on.?
While the ending of this relationship introduces a delay in the production of A Vampyre Story, Autumn Moon expressed they are dedicated to bringing this title to market. Autumn Moon also points to articles worldwide that have shown enthusiasm for the title and the game?s designation as the ?Most Anticipated Adventure Game? by The Inventory as evidence of the market potential both for this title and the Adventure Genre.
Mr. Kirchoff added ?this change in plans may have a hidden benefit as well, we (AME) believe that this genre a game has a huge potential in portable market, such as Sony?s Playstation Portable, where the style of gameplay and technology would appear to be an ideal match and this change allows us the potential to explore this opportunity.?
We hear only bad news, at this time.
Sitting on a bus, playing AVS? Appreciating the environment on a tiny screen through awful tweeter speakers? Could I possibly use any more question marks?
Nay, nay, and thrice nay! This kind of thinking is exactly what made Revolution want to release the loosely titled Broken Sword 3.
Hopefully a deal will be struck with someone llike Majesco. Or maybe if Bone sells well AME will be able to distribute via Telltale's infrastructure (?)