Drifter Wars, a game designed by Igor Puschner and Rixx Javix of EVEOGANDA, an EVE related webzine, has been shut down for IP violations after CCP filed a complaint about the game.
The game was originally conceived as an idea by Javix, who toyed with the idea of EVE being an arcade shooter:
Back in June I had a little fun pretending that a game called “Drifter Wars” once existed as a Nintendo 8-bit arcade game.
Javix was reached out to by Puschner, a fellow EVE player with a knack for programming. Together, they spent two months making Drifter Wars a reality. Drifter Wars, a side scrolling action arcade shooter, was not envisioned as anything more than a fan-made game. Javix praised Puschner’s skill in making this idea a reality, commenting, “I have NO IDEA how he does what he does – but Igor Puschner is a genius!”
While the game was still around, it consisted of two modes, story and arcade. It had five levels, each one culminating in a Drifter boss fight. It was designed, according to the makers, as challenging as any EVE related game ought to be, while also being enjoyable.
The makers understood very clearly that the possibility of CCP finding it to be a violation of their IP, but felt that the non-monetized, fan-made nature of the game would give them a pass. They are still saddened by the loss of their game, but Javix believes that this is an opportunity to make a much clearer policy on the use of CCP’s IP:
I will state again that I firmly believe in anyone’s right to protect their own trademarks and copyrights. As a creator myself I’ve always been an advocate for creator-rights and I do understand the position that CCP is taking. I continue to strive for and hope for a clearly defined process by which creators can work with CCP to achieve projects like this one. And while huge strides have been made in the past year, much remains to be achieved.
TMC wishes the best for both CCP and Javix as they both continue to bring us great content and to make a much better and clearer terms and conditions for using the EVE IP.
