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Publisher Brighter Minds Files For Chapter 11
by Chris Remo
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February 2, 2009
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U.S.-headquartered PC game publisher Brighter Minds Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week.
Confirmation of the filing was posted on bankruptcy database site TrollerBk, and was first reported by website GameDaily.
The Ohio-based company published the PC version of 2D Boy's acclaimed debut title World of Goo, and is responsible for retail sales of the game in North America.
Brighter Minds' retail portfolio is largely centered on casual and family-oriented offerings, particular child-centric educational software. Many of the firm's newer casual game signings, which are produced by external companies, are also available for download online elsewhere, including Top Chef the Game and Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst.
World of Goo and other casual titles are also distributed through the publisher's recently-launched Beanstalk Games site, which offers both physical and digital copies.
Under the terms of Chapter 11, the company is able to reorganize and retain control of its assets. The company has not issued any formal statement in relation to the bankruptcy filing.
[UPDATE: Brighter Minds Media, LLC representative Mia McPherson has responded to Gamasutra, claiming that the bankruptcy proceedings should allow the company to continue its business uninterrupted:
"Brighter Minds Media has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as of late last week. The state of the economy has affected us much like it has affected many other businesses.
"However, we're extremely optimistic that this move will provide a great opportunity for Brighter Minds, as we've been fortunate enough to have the complete support of our lender to reorganize our company and continue to do business during this reorganization. Our partners have also shown us great support, including both our retail and publishing partners, and we do not foresee this move having any effect on our business whatsoever. If anything, this will allow our business to grow stronger.
"We're very proud to be the publisher of many educational and award-winning products – including World of Goo, of course – and we are moving forward with several new projects that we're very excited to share with the gaming community in the upcoming months."]
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I'v look into pirated .NFO file and fined out that there was no any protection at all. Silly move.
@Dmitry: the 90% piracy calculation was determined on the basis that there were "500 seeders and 300 leechers". I'm not sure how that was translated into "90%", unless 2D Boy has only sold 80 copies in total! In which case, my family is responsible for 2.5% of all copies sold, as my sister and I have both bought it on the Wii...
The key here is that any popular game will get cracked and will end up being torrented. The question is whether the cost of DRM is justified - both in terms of the customer experience and in terms of how long it delays pirate activity. For a small indy company, the financial cost of the DRM almost certainly outweighs the benefits of the delay - and removing it grants the company some free publicity for their perceived bravery.