Firefall Studio Joins Anti-SOPA Blackout

Hevva

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Aug 2, 2011
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Firefall Studio Joins Anti-SOPA Blackout



Red 5 Studios says it will shut down its website, community space and Firefall beta for 24 hours on January 18. It's also boycotting E3.


While the games industry's response to the Electronic Software Association (ESA) [http://americancensorship.org/infographic.html].

A growing number of websites - including Reddit [http://techland.time.com/2012/01/12/sopa-reddit-confirms-january-18-blackout-wikipedia-and-others-may-follow/?iid=tl-main-mostpop1] - also have anti-SOPA blackouts scheduled on January 18.

Red 5 Studios CEO, Mark Kern, says his company's opposition to the bill stems from how harmful it could be to indie developers. "Most of all, [SOPA] hurts the smaller game companies, who will not have the legal resources or lobbying presence to protect themselves from unwarranted shutdown," he said in an email to Shacknews. "This bill, and its sister bill, Protect IP, will shut down live streaming, shout casting, user generated content and have a chilling effect on game innovation and social media," he continued.

While Red 5 Studios is not the first [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115222-Torchlight-Developer-Says-No-to-SOPA] developer to announce its opposition to the bill, the ESA and many of its members still continue to support SOPA. Kern clarified that Red 5 Studios is not an ESA member and said it "never will be" over the group's support for legislation, adding that his studio is "ashamed, ashamed of the ESA for supporting a bill which is clearly not in the best interests of gamers or the game industry."

"We issue a call to all our industry peers, including developers, publishers, and game press, to join us in letting the ESA know they do not represent our views on this issue, and strongly oppose SOPA and PIPA," added Kern.

It would be reasonable to expect that battery of opinions on SOPA and PIPA is only going to grow as the bills continue their passage through Congress (anti-SOPA Facebook event [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115221-UPDATE-Sega-Knows-How-to-Stop-SOPA] designed to assist in raising awareness.


Source: EcksTeaSea [http://www.shacknews.com/article/71965/firefall-dev-shutting-down-beta-site-in-protest-of-sopa])



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Noble_Lance

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Sep 4, 2011
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I give them respect for shutting down, more importantly willing to take their MMMORPG out of E3 by eliminating their booth.
 

Albino Boo

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Some people have absolutely no self awareness, Red 5 Studios majority shareholder is The9. The9
is Chinese company, so its all right to take money form companies who operate in genuinely oppressive regimes. So commitment to free speech and the rights of the individual are fine, just make sure you are paid first by company that operates in a country that allows working conditions that drives people to suicide. If they really gave a damn they about the rights of the individual they wouldn't takeing Chinese money. In short they are just a bunch of stupid juvenile posturing halfwits with no sense of shame.
 

Frostbite3789

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albino boo said:
Some people have absolutely no self awareness, Red 5 Studios majority shareholder is The9. The9
is Chinese company, so its all right to take money form companies who operate in genuinely oppressive regimes. So commitment to free speech and the rights of the individual are fine, just make sure you are paid first by company that operates in a country that allows working conditions that drives people to suicide. If they really gave a damn they about the rights of the individual they wouldn't takeing Chinese money. In short they are just a bunch of stupid juvenile posturing halfwits with no sense of shame.
Yeah, they should probably instead just go ahead and fold, and everyone at the whole studio should lose their jobs. It's the only obvious solution here. /sarcasm
 

Albino Boo

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Jun 14, 2010
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Frostbite3789 said:
albino boo said:
Some people have absolutely no self awareness, Red 5 Studios majority shareholder is The9. The9
is Chinese company, so its all right to take money form companies who operate in genuinely oppressive regimes. So commitment to free speech and the rights of the individual are fine, just make sure you are paid first by company that operates in a country that allows working conditions that drives people to suicide. If they really gave a damn they about the rights of the individual they wouldn't takeing Chinese money. In short they are just a bunch of stupid juvenile posturing halfwits with no sense of shame.
Yeah, they should probably instead just go ahead and fold, and everyone at the whole studio should lose their jobs. It's the only obvious solution here. /sarcasm
You cant sit on the moral high ground while taking Chinese money, you either have principals or you don't. Red 5 are indulging in blatant hypocrisy. If you take Chinese money that's fine but you don't get lecture anyone on rights afterwards. You cant have your cake and eat it.
 

gunner1905

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Jun 18, 2010
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albino boo said:
Frostbite3789 said:
albino boo said:
Some people have absolutely no self awareness, Red 5 Studios majority shareholder is The9. The9
is Chinese company, so its all right to take money form companies who operate in genuinely oppressive regimes. So commitment to free speech and the rights of the individual are fine, just make sure you are paid first by company that operates in a country that allows working conditions that drives people to suicide. If they really gave a damn they about the rights of the individual they wouldn't takeing Chinese money. In short they are just a bunch of stupid juvenile posturing halfwits with no sense of shame.
Yeah, they should probably instead just go ahead and fold, and everyone at the whole studio should lose their jobs. It's the only obvious solution here. /sarcasm
You cant sit on the moral high ground while taking Chinese money, you either have principals or you don't. Red 5 are indulging in blatant hypocrisy. If you take Chinese money that's fine but you don't get lecture anyone on rights afterwards. You cant have your cake and eat it.
Then no company should take American money as well, you know from the country that detains people without trials, tortures people, kills it own citizens, etc.
you can talk about what a government do but it doesn't mean all the people working in that country is exactly the same as the government.
Also if you're talking about the suicides in the Foxconn plant then you should realize that it was indirectly cause by your wanting of cheaper goods and the purpose of American companies (money), so get off your high horse judging other countries.
 

Averant

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Jul 6, 2010
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albino boo said:
You cant sit on the moral high ground while taking Chinese money, you either have principals or you don't. Red 5 are indulging in blatant hypocrisy. If you take Chinese money that's fine but you don't get lecture anyone on rights afterwards. You cant have your cake and eat it.
Yes you can, you just need to make another cake!

Besides, the government of china is slightly beside the point. Whether it's hypocritical or not, Red5 is an american company, and this is a bill affecting american IP. Who their shareholders are does not matter, they need the money and they need their jobs. Thus, they are against the bill.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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albino boo said:
Frostbite3789 said:
albino boo said:
Some people have absolutely no self awareness, Red 5 Studios majority shareholder is The9. The9
is Chinese company, so its all right to take money form companies who operate in genuinely oppressive regimes. So commitment to free speech and the rights of the individual are fine, just make sure you are paid first by company that operates in a country that allows working conditions that drives people to suicide. If they really gave a damn they about the rights of the individual they wouldn't takeing Chinese money. In short they are just a bunch of stupid juvenile posturing halfwits with no sense of shame.
Yeah, they should probably instead just go ahead and fold, and everyone at the whole studio should lose their jobs. It's the only obvious solution here. /sarcasm
You cant sit on the moral high ground while taking Chinese money, you either have principals or you don't. Red 5 are indulging in blatant hypocrisy. If you take Chinese money that's fine but you don't get lecture anyone on rights afterwards. You cant have your cake and eat it.
By this logic, no one can say anything critical ever. Because I can GUARANTEE you did something just like that at some point in one way or another.

NEWSFLASH: Minor hypocrisy is not the end of the world. I'd much sooner have them step out against SOPA than have them quiet because some of their money is from China.

Ever heard of small steps? Or does everyone have to go to one extreme or the other in your book?