Famous Wii Vaporware Is Back From The Dead

[Lady Lilith]

http://kotaku.com/famous-wii-vaporware-is-back-from-the-dead-1579293509

 

 

Sadness is a fable so old that most of our original stories on the "game" no longer exist on the internet. One of the most notorious pieces of vapourware in video games history, it was at one point a posterchild for the hardcore's hopes for the Wii. Now it wants to haunt the Wii U instead.P

A pair of small developers - HullBreach Studios and Cthulu Games - tell nintendolife that they've picked up the rights to the Sadness IP, and will be bringing the game to the Wii U.

Gone is the ambitious 3D/live-action premise of the original, however, and in its stead is a more practical plan to make Sadness a 2D RPG/puzzler, running on the Unity engine.

The big difference here, of course, is that second time around few people will care. There's no attachment to the IP since the game never came out, and there's little chance any media HullBreach and Cthulu show off will beat the excitement generated by Sadness' original pitch video.

 

 

Uh...I've never heard of this, but if it's a 2D RPG/puzzler, why not try it?

Edited May 21, 2014 by Lilith

[skateak]

http://kotaku.com/famous-wii-vaporware-is-back-from-the-dead-1579293509

 

 

Uh...I've never heard of this, but if it's a 2D RPG/puzzler, why not try it?

I read about the original idea and was hoping it would be like Eternal Darkness. Completely forgot about the game until now.

[Lady Lilith]

I read about the original idea and was hoping it would be like Eternal Darkness. Completely forgot about the game until now.

 

I think I remember something about a spiritual successor to that on the Wii...No, I don't mean the Kickstarter one.

[yellowwindow7]

i never heard of this game at all.

[Lady Lilith]

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/hullbreach_studios_and_cthulhi_games_retract_claim_to_sadness_ip

 

Others currently seeking to pick up the rights

Yesterday we posted the news and a short interview regarding a revival of the lost Wii game, Sadness, with independent Wii U developers teaming up to work on the project. It was news that excited plenty of download gamers, and there was certainly confidence of the project being on solid footing in our interview. In subsequent comments to Eurogamer, however, posted as an update in our original article, it was clarified that the developers do not, actually, currently hold the Sadness IP rights.

Now, following reaction to the announcement, Randy Freer of HullBreach Studios has provided an updated statement, with bad news for those hoping to see the Sadness brand, in particular.

The Sadness IP is in the hands of a consortium with 4 studios currently fighting for the bid, and that while we at HullBreach and Cthulhi would like to make a competing bid and secure rights to Sadness, unfortunately we cannot at this time. Sorry to fans for any inconvenience.

A quick descent from optimism to a retraction, then, and we can only hope that Cthulhi Games' Jeremy Kleve's comments to Eurogamer that not having the formal rights "will not slow us down" are indeed accurate, based on the principle that "most of their ideas were just ideas". A game inspired by Sadness but with a fresh title and storyline shouldn't, in theory, encounter any legal issues.

As for Sadness, it seems there is hope for a future for the brand, if Freer's assertion regarding other parties bidding for the rights is accurate.