Oh, it is a shame that they will not produce a physical copy of this Contra game : / But the positive part is that they seem very committed to finish this cool demake project for Contra : ) . By the way, an Atari 7.8k version would be cool too.
Great retro-gaming post as usual, mate.
Cheers.
Thank you. I just enjoy this era of gaming and want to share with others the great work being done as it is often overlooked by larger creators/websites.
I agree, it is a shame they can't make a physical one but it is for the best. I would rather see the game released in digital only and the team working on more great releases than them get sued and disband.
I honestly don't think Konami would really have a problem with this as it is not using the name and is clearly "inspired by" rather than a direct port. Though the similarities are already quite clear so maybe being cautious is best in this situation.
Damn mate, you have reason on the sue thing, I think that all these sues against this type of smalls devs teams sucks : / , because this teams in most cases aims to preserve and extend the lifespan of these video game classics.
It sucks but for United States based creators they have to protect their copyrights and trademarks. If they do not then others can actually forcefully take the IPs. Like a hostile takeover in a company.
If they do not protect against unauthorized use the owner can actually be stripped of ownership by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). Best case scenario, their ownership is "weakened" creating precedents in court that unauthorized users can use to legally use the copyright/trademark.
This is why Nintendo is so protective of their IPs, to the point of taking ownership of Let's Play's and No Commentary videos on YouTube (Nintendo gets the ad revenue as it is recognized as a movie by law).
It is a sticky world messing with trademarks and copyrights owned by others for those living in the United States, or working with US based companies such as YouTube.
Some companies are more trusting of the community. Konami is one. They are rare though.
Sadly, all it takes is some asshole somewhere to ruin this for everyone and bring a fresh legal hell onto the retro community.
Wow, excellent explanation my friend, I'm really not as familiar as you are with all the copywrite and ownership policies in the USA. I really thank you for such a detailed explanation. But really, the Nintendo thing is awesome, especially the Let's plays part : O ...
Regards.
On one hand, copyright and trademark laws in the U.S. are archaic at best. Very constricting but for a reason, I am sure.