In the next chapter of the fight for control of the Star Control series, original series creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche have started a Gofundme fundraiser for the estimated $2 million they need to defend themselves against Stardock, which is suing them for the rights to the franchise.
The short version of the backstory here is that Ford and Reiche developed the first two Star Control games, but, through a serious of closures and buyouts, Stardock currently owns the rights to the Star Control series. Stardock is currently developer Star Control: Origins using the name of the series but none of the alien species in the original games, while Ford and Reiche’s company, Dogar and Kazon, is creating Ghosts of the Precursors, which is billed as a “direct sequel” to Star Control II.
Ford and Reiche alleged in December that Stardock was suing them over Ghost of the Precursors. They also believe Stardock does not have the rights to Star Control, and filed a counterclaim against the company back in February. Since then, the Star Control have disappeared from the likes of Steam and GoG, Ford and Reiche have posted timelines and legal settlements from their side of the story, claiming Stardock CEO Brad Wardell had at first not questioned Ford and Reiche’s ownership of the series, then quickly (the next day) turned around and threatened litigation over the rights.
Now the two have launched the Gofundme to raise $2 Million, which the pair say will go towards defending themselves from Stardock’s “lawsuit against us, seeking not just to prevent the creation of Ghosts of the Precursors and to take our past creative work, but also, bizarrely, to strip us of credit as creators of the original game.”
In the meantime, Star Control: Origins is due to release on September 20. No release date for Ghosts of the Precursors has been set.
Source: Game Informer Star Control Developers Start Fundraiser For Ongoing Legal Battle Against Stardock