Piko Interactive's Proto/Copyright Acquisitions - Official Thread

[PikoInteractive]

Hey Guys, so lately we have been working on full force to acquire prototypes along their rights to finish the games and publish them. I want to keep this thread open to discuss the games that we have acquired and the status of each game (usually we get games incomplete).

-Game Name - Status - Description

-Dorke and Ymp SNES - Fully Playable - New World added from source code acquired, New music, bug fixes, and additional boss fights. Available for purchase at http://pikointeractive.com/store.htmland Steam.

- Pinkie SNES - Fully Playable - debug mode turned off - Currently WTB CD32 and Megadrive protos. Scheduled to release in 2017

-Indigo ST/Amiga - Fully Playable - Game fully playable dumps available online. We are planning GBA/GenesisJaguar ports along physical CD32 physical release.

-Tyrannosaurus Tex GBC - Fully Playable - Proto Rom acquired from fellow Assemblergames member, seems to be fully playable working on a couple of small things that need polish. Physical release for GBC planned for 2017. PC Remaster planned as well as Genesis port planned.

-Jim Power The Lost Dimension Genesis - Fully Playable - Optimized to work on both PAL and NTSC, fully playable with all songs, will be released in a planned Jim Power Crowdfunding campaign along with every physical version of every Retro platform.

-Video Kid SNES - NOT FOUND - Unfortunately the programmer and sub-publisher lost all data of the SNES version. WTB SNES prototype. Hoping Kaneko Japan has a back up somewhere.

-Switchblade II NES - NOT FOUND - Developer who coded mentioned he may have a back up but lead went cold. Currently WTB prototype of the NES version; hoping Kaneko Japan has a back up.

-Madness House of Fun Genesis - FOUND - Found the source code which seems to be complete or almost complete. No Binaries. This version is called PJ in the Dreamland. Hoping to get it compiled somehow.

-ODEMA GBA - Found /WIP - Found the source code for part of the games, art assets for the full game and very early build of the game. Game will be re-written from scratch it seems. Have a lead of a collector that owns a later proto but not willing to sell. WTB Proto for ODEMA GBA

I've been very busy, this is time consuming and expensive, but I'm glad there is progress. Any comments or questions please let me know. Any lead of attainable license/rights protos would be appreciated!

Edited November 22, 2016 by PikoInteractive

[jhd]

This is a really interesting business model -- I hope that it is successful! Good luck tracking down/licensing more unfinished games.

 

I am interested to know (in general terms) how you locate the copyright holders, especially where the firm that developed the prototype is long out of business.

 

In the world of printed books, "orphan works" are a very significant issue.

[PikoInteractive]

Usually you find the person, and go on a quest online and bug a bunch of people until you find the one. Social Media is 80%+ of all this work.

[bojay1997]

Usually you find the person, and go on a quest online and bug a bunch of people until you find the one. Social Media is 80%+ of all this work.

When you say the "person", do you mean the original programmer? Aren't the rights usually held by the publisher or developer and aren't those rights really hard to track down since they often get bundled and sold to multiple other companies over the years? Chain of title is a nightmare even sometimes for big entertainment companies. I can't imagine the complexities involved when the companies are defunct and the rights in various elements (music, underlying code, etc...) are scattered to the wind.

[PikoInteractive]

When you say the "person", do you mean the original programmer? Aren't the rights usually held by the publisher or developer and aren't those rights really hard to track down since they often get bundled and sold to multiple other companies over the years? Chain of title is a nightmare even sometimes for big entertainment companies. I can't imagine the complexities involved when the companies are defunct and the rights in various elements (music, underlying code, etc...) are scattered to the wind.

 

Most of the cases, person was company owner/founder/etc, also you got to check with publisher owner as well if they retained rights. Very little times a single person made the game and wasn't even paid etc, game cancelled so he retained any right (the case of indigo) is a complicated process which involves talking to several people involved, sometimes even asking for waivers from them.

[Supergun]

This is a nightmare. And even as impossibly difficult as this may seem here, now multiply it by a factor of ten, and you then can only just begin to understand just how much harder it is when you have the Pacific Ocean between you & them, coupled with the language barrier.

[PikoInteractive]

on the OP I wrote Kaneko when I meant Kemco.

[enoofu]

Wish you good luck on your project

[+Shawn]

Do you have a source at Kaneko Japan you are dealing with or something on the titles listed as missing?

[PikoInteractive]

It was meant to be kemco not kaneko. Contact with kemco yes.

[KidGameR186496]

Are you going to work on a deal with the creators of the RPG that resurfaced on the GBC called Infinity?

[PikoInteractive]

Are you going to work on a deal with the creators of the RPG that resurfaced on the GBC called Infinity?

Nope,

 

I offered a lot of money for it, and more money for the main dev to finish it. The declined the offer. Now with the ROM out there has even less value in our eyes unfortunately.

[Jinroh]

OMG T-Tex!?

 

I was waiting so long for that game as a kid.

 

I'm totally down with this!

[JagChris]

Will your NES/SNES games work on the retron consoles?

[KidGameR186496]

Is there any news in regards to Jaguar Bomberman?

[KidGameR186496]

Will your NES/SNES games work on the retron consoles?

Yes they do work on the Retron systems. Edited November 16, 2016 by KidGameR186496

[PikoInteractive]

No news on Bomberman Jag, and honestly I see it long shot as it is a Konami IP.

[Clint Thompson]

Pickup MKIII remains for the Jaguar and then I'll hand you the trophy of ultimate success or better yet... Phear from Nintendo.

 

In all seriousness, I love what you're doing.

[PikoInteractive]

I want the DICE unreleased Genesis game by Psygnosis!

[KidGameR186496]

Regarding some of the unreleased jaguar games i heard that Aero the Acrobat,Tinhead,Earthworm Jim 1,Virtuoso,Toki goes Apespit,ZZyorXX II,Graham Gooch Cricket,Ultimate Brain Games,Striker,Battlechess,Ishar III,Zone Hunter,Phear,Conutry Grid,Deathwatch/Switchdeath,Dragon's Lair II,Gunship 2000,James Pond 3,Super Off-Road,Powerslide,Indiana Jag,Rise of the Robots,Lobo,Telegames' Casino Royale,Asteroids 2000 and Hardball 3 do exist and they're waiting to be found.

Edited November 21, 2016 by KidGameR186496

[+Shawn]

Regarding some of the unreleased jaguar games i heard that Aero the Acrobat,Tinhead,Earthworm Jim 1,Virtuoso,Toki goes Apespit,ZZyorXX II,Graham Gooch Cricket,Ultimate Brain Games,Striker,Battlechess,Ishar III,Zone Hunter,Phear,Conutry Grid,Deathwatch/Switchdeath,Dragon's Lair II,Gunship 2000,James Pond 3,Super Off-Road,Powerslide,Indiana Jag,Rise of the Robots,Lobo,Telegames' Casino Royale,Asteroids 2000 and Hardball 3 do exist and they're waiting to be found.

 

What if any proof do you have for each of these titles being programmed for the Jaguar please?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

If there was ever a company that I could imagine having the skills and resources to finish and complete the Alien vs Predator prototype for the Atari Lynx it would be Piko Interactive. Sadly I haven't had much luck figuring out who currently owns the rights to it, but it could be worth investigating.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Jin

[KidGameR186496]

What if any proof do you have for each of these titles being programmed for the Jaguar please?

Here: http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=408.0

And here: http://gameon.freeforums.net/board/18/lost-atari-games-prototypes

Oh and these: http://www.cyberroach.com/jaguarcd/html/gameidx.htm

https://www.unseen64.net/category/others/jaguar/

Edited November 21, 2016 by KidGameR186496

[BillLoguidice]

Here: http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=408.0

And here: http://gameon.freeforums.net/board/18/lost-atari-games-prototypes

Oh and these: http://www.cyberroach.com/jaguarcd/html/gameidx.htm

https://www.unseen64.net/category/others/jaguar/

 

That doesn't mean anything actually exists. A good portion of that was back in the day speculation or announcements versus actual work being done and/or much progress being made. It's important to remember that the Jaguar market went bust pretty fast. With that said, there's always a small chance at least a couple of such titles might actually exist in some early state.

[Clint Thompson]

Regarding some of the unreleased jaguar games i heard that Aero the Acrobat,Tinhead,Earthworm Jim 1,Virtuoso,Toki goes Apespit,ZZyorXX II,Graham Gooch Cricket,Ultimate Brain Games,Striker,Battlechess,Ishar III,Zone Hunter,Phear,Conutry Grid,Deathwatch/Switchdeath,Dragon's Lair II,Gunship 2000,James Pond 3,Super Off-Road,Powerslide,Indiana Jag,Rise of the Robots,Lobo,Telegames' Casino Royale,Asteroids 2000 and Hardball 3 do exist and they're waiting to be found.

Most all of those do not actually exist, especially ZZyorXX II. Ultimate Brain Games is barely playable demo status. Deathwatch is demo status. Gunship 2000 is a no go. Country Grid probably exists but I wouldn't want it anyway. I would be willing to bet extremities that Dragon's Lair II doesn't exist. Indiana Jag was a concept.