EA and Rockstar go at it...

[Melbosa]

http://gamepolitics.com/2007/10/29/rockstar-spazzed-out-like-little-babies-says-simpsons-producer

Is their a simmering feud in Game Developer Land?

GamePolitics readers may recall the dust-up between EA and Rockstar at the recent Leipzig Game Convention. Rockstar objected to satirical GTA references in the upcoming The Simpsons game (see: Rockstar Bullies EA Over Parody).

Specifically, a poster for Grand Theft Scratchy, a GTA parody which appears in The Simpsons, drew Rockstar?s ire.

A trio of EA developers have fired back at Rockstar on Geoff Keighley?s Game Head program. Executive producer Matt Selman (left) explained the controversy:

The game begins with Bart wanting to play a game called Grand Theft Scratchy. Of course this is a parody of Grand Theft Auto. And Marge immediately takes it away from him. She tries to clean up the town and stop the game from being distributed in Springfield because Marge is against video game violence. She uses horrific violence to stop video game violence? in a video game.

Thats called irony? The people who make Grand Theft Auto, they spazzed out like little babies.

Senior producer Matt Warburton (right) chimed in:

They?re supposed to be rockstars? That?s not a big Rockstar move, to be afraid of The Simpsons making fun of their game.

Selman also dinged Rockstar a bit for the delayed release of GTA 4:

We couldn?t get our game out in time, so we?re afraid that the gamers ? who are not morons ? are going to get confused by an Itchy and Scratchy poster of Grand Theft Scratchy - they?re going to think that?s the same thing as Grand Theft Auto?

EA lawyers are afraid to use the name Grand Theft Scratchy in promoting the game? [Rockstar?s] games are full of satire, lame attempts at parody? basically putting the words sixty-nine in wherever they can find it?

Selman eventually paid homage to GTA, but couldn?t resist a parting shot:

Their games are amazing. Trust me, I?ll be the first person in line to play Grand Theft Auto 4? in five years when it comes out.

[Mr. Analog]

Oy this is where parody vs copyright gets ugly. On one hand parody is something meant to be either in tribute or poking fun at the original source. Certainly it's poking fun. On the other hand they have to respect the wishes of the copyright holder to a certain degree and given that EA is Rockstar's publisher they should respect the wishes of a company which has delivered a hit series of games to them.

Slippery slope, to be sure.