FFG just announced a merger with Asmodee (Big French Board Game Company). Suddenly FFG has solid world-wide distribution, and Asmodee gets a successful US game publisher with solid US distribution channels. Sounds win-win to me.
Oh, and Chapterhouse finally settled with GW. CHS is promising to have their website back up on Friday, so I'm guessing they got a mildly decent payoff (but not a buyout) from GW's new CEO. Who probably just wanted this whole mess to go away before the appeal was set to start.
GW was playing hardball at the end with Chapterhouse. GW had frozen CH's assets for discovery, and CH was having trouble securing a 25K bond to cover the damages. It's possible that GW's lawyers where trying to pierce the cooperate veil and go after Nick Villacci's personal finances.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing got settled the day before GW had to tell the judge(who has just about had it with their shenanigans) why he shouldn't unfreeze CH's assets.
There's supposition on Dakka from those with legal experience that GW was desperate to avoid the appeal courts and threatened to do every thing they could to take away Nick Villacci's house. CH's hand was pretty strong going into appeal, and most people think GW's is too stubborn to offer a big "go away" payout.
Yeah, I read through all of the Dakka commentary. Lots of interesting views there. But...
DeleteGW's 'payoff' wouldn't have to be much more than a waving of the judgement fine. Plus maybe a buyout of any of CH's molds that they really wanted gone, but hadn't won a judgement on.
Given the timing of the day before everyone expected the asset freeze to be lifted, this was a desperation move by GW. Roundtree is running GW now, and he came from accounting. I really believe that he and the board just wanted the case gone before things got even more expensive and legally damaging.
Yeah they played hardball, but Nick had stuck it out to the last day. That put the ball in GW's court.