Frogwares' Legal Dispute With Nacon Over 'The Sinking City' Is Finally Done

Developer camaraderie sentiments aside, this game was a major disappointment for me. I think Frogwares should revert back to the more linear format of Testament of SH, or even the episodic format of SH:Crimes&Punishments, because this open-world thing does not really work for them (Sinking City, SH:Chapter One)

For the record: a mystery game works best if it is linear. This way the writer has all the power to create a fine yarn, else the story will be unnecessarily convoluted, incoherent and badly paced (yes, these issues were all present in Sinking City)

The only non-linear, open-world mystery that REALLY works is the underrated Paradise Killer (excellent on Switch, grab it ASAP if you don't have it already!), but it is a very different beast to Frogwares' creations.

Having been in computers since 1980, and video game programming and design since 1992, I’ve seen disputes like this before. Good for them getting their rights back, whoever they are.

This kind of problem happened to the studio I was at. Without violating and NDAs, the Studio developed a handful of titles for a particular publisher, with a specific property. When the Studio was bought by a major publisher, and that publisher was bought by a major Hollywood corporation, that Studio got screwed out their royalties from the other publisher, who also was bought by another major company themselves, who in the end, became part of a major toy company, with the properties the Studio had developed becoming the property of a . . . Wizards of the Coast.

Yeesh. Anyway, in the end, the Studio lost ALL its rights and royalties.

Good for this unknown developer to become their own publisher and get back their property.

I'm glad they sorted that one out. The Sinking City showed potential even if it wasn't fully realized. I would be interested in another game in that vein from Frogwares.

Very happy to hear. Only played this game this year. It's rough. What the game does well it does very well which unfortunately isn't everything but fortunately is the important stuff, for the most part. I am excited to hear they plan on doing more with the series, there's a huge amount of potential!

I'm only a few hours into this game but I've found it pretty great so far. I like the nonlinearity, and the fact that it doesn't quite fit a genre. I also think it does a good job handling Lovecraft's work, and I am pretty anal about using the word Lovecraftian properly. Maybe my opinion will lessen as I move on.

I'd love to see them develop a batman game. That would probably fit nicely with Bethesda's Indiana Jones, and IOI's James Bond.

@duerer Agreed on pacing. The story gets lost in the tedium of open-world trappings.

That said, the game genuinely messes with me. I can't play it for long, especially alone at night.