LIST OF PROTECTED COMPANIES
Some companies consider keeping tight control of their copyrights to be Very Serious Business™ and will stomp heavily on anyone who offers the games they own for download. We DON'T want to piss them off - receiving a notice to remove all games owned by a specific company within 48 hours or suffer legal consequences (in layman's terms: lawsuit) is not very pleasant and we would prefer to never get one again, thankyouverymuch.
1. ESA
Who are they and what do they do?
The
ESA (or Entertainment Software Association) protects games of its members and subsidiaries. Subsidiaries are companies owned or supported by its members (for example Maxis is a subsidiary of Electronic Arts).
How does this affect Abandonia?
On Abandonia, we employ certain rules regarding ESA members & subsidiaries. Some have unlimited protection (meaning all their games are protected indefinitely) while others have limited protection (meaning games older than X years are unprotected).
What are their members and subsidiaries?
Quote:
The following list are all known ESA companies and their subsidiaries.
Black: 10 year protection
Blue: 15 year protection
Red: unlimited protection
#: subsidiary
##: subsidiary owned by several ESA members- 345 Games
- 505 Games
- Capcom
- # K2 Co., Ltd.
- Deep Silver
- Disney Interactive Studios
- # Avalanche Software LLC
- # Black Rock Studio
- # Buena Vista Games, Inc.
- # Disney Interactive
- # Fall Line Studio
- # Junction Point Studios
- # Propaganda Games
- # Walt Disney Computer Software, Inc.
- # Wideload Games
- Electronic Arts
- # Bullfrog
- # Bioware Corp.
- # Crack Dot Com
- # Criterion Games
- # EA Black Box (Black Box Games)
- # EA Digital Illusions (Digital Illusions CE AB, DICE)
- # EA Games
- # EA Mythic (Mythic Entertainment)
- # EA Phenomic (Phenomic Game Development)
- # EA Sports
- # EA Sports BIG
- # EA Store
- # EA Tiburon (Tiburon Entertainment)
- # Kesmai Corporation (Gamestorm)
- # Max Design GesMBH
- # Maxis
- # Origin
- # Pandemic Studios
- # Westwood Studios
- Epic Games
- # Chair Entertainment
- # People Can Fly
- Her Interactive
- Ignition Entertainment
- # UTV Software Communications
- Konami Digital Entertainment
- # Hudson Soft
- Microsoft Corporation
- # Ensemble Studios
- # FASA Studio
- # Lionhead Studios
- # Rare, Ltd.
- Namco Bandai Games, Inc
- # Banpresto Co., Ltd.
- # Namco Tales Studio (Wolf Team)
- Natsume Inc.
- Nexon America
- # NDOORS Corporation
- Nintendo
- # HAL Laboratory
- # Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd.
- # Monolith Soft
- # Retro Studios
- NVIDIA
- O-Games, Inc.
- SEGA
- # Hitmaker (Sega AM-3)
- # Overworks
- # SegaSoft
- # Sega Wow
- # Smilebit
- # Sonic Team
- # Sports Interactive
- # The Creative Assembly
- # United Game Artists
- # Wow Entertainment
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- # Evolution Studios
- # Guerilla Games (Lost Boys Games)
- # Incognito Entertainment
- # Naughty Dog
- # Polyphony Digital
- # Psygnosis
- # Zipper Interactive
- Square Enix, Inc
- # Beautiful Game Studios
- # Core Design
- # Crystal Dynamics
- # Domark
- # Eidos Interactive
- # IO Interactive
- # Sales Curve Interactive
- # SCI Entertainment Group PLC
- # Stainless Games Ltd.
- # Taito Corporation
- # U.S. Gold
- Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc
- # 2K Games
- # Firaxis Games
- # Frog City Software
- # Gathering of Developers
- # Gotham Games
- # Indie Built (Access Software)
- # Irrational Games
- # Kush Games
- # neo Software Produktions GmbH
- # PopTop Software
- # Rockstar Games
- # TalonSoft (part of rights currently owned by Matrix Games, non-ESA)
- Tecmo Koei
- # KOEI Co.
- # Omega Force
- # Tecmo Ltd.
- # Team Ninja
- # Team Tachyon
- Trion World Network, Inc.
- Ubisoft Entertainment
- # Blue Byte
- # Nadeo
- # Red Storm Entertainment, Inc
- # Related Designs Software GmbH
- # Sinister Games
- # Strategic Simulations, Inc.
- # Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software
- # Wolfpack Studios
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertaiment, Inc
- # Monolith Productions
- # NetherRealm Studios (Midway Chicago)
- # Rocksteady Studios
- # Snowblind Studios
- # Surreal Software
- # TT Games
- # Turbine, Inc.
- XSEED Games
- ## 3DO Company, The
- ### New World Computing
- ### Cyclone Studios
- ### Archetype Interactive
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2. Companies with unlimited protection
Games released by the following the companies are ALWAYS considered to be protected:
Quote:
- Bethesda Softworks
- # Flashpoint Productions
- Eutechnyx
- LucasArts
- # LucasFilm
- Team17 Software Limited
- Webfoot Technologies
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COMPANIES NO LONGER UNDER PROTECTION
As of May 2008, several major companies have opted out of their ESA membership. The following companies are
no longer considered under ESA protection (LucasArts/LucasFilm games are still off-limits):
Atari / Infogrames is no longer present on the list of ESA member companies. Codemasters left ESA sometime in October 2008, which we failed to observe at the time.
As of November 2009, following companies are no longer considered under ESA protection:
As of August 2011, following companies are no longer considered under ESA protection:
Quote:
- Crave Entertainment
- # Lobotomy Software
- Playlogic Entertainment Inc.
- MTV Games
- Realtime Worlds Ltd.
- Seven45 Studios
- Slang
- SouthPeak Interactive Corporation
- # Gamecock Media Group
Former ESA member subsidiaries sold to non-ESA ownership:- # Awesome Studios
- # Broderbund
- # Ignition Banbury
- # Mattel Interactive
- # MECC
- # Red Orb Entertainment
- # Software Toolworks, The
- # The Learning Company
Companies erroneously listed as subsidiaries of ESA members:- # Mindscape
- ## Coktel Vision
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Here is a list of titles acquired by Matrix Games from TalonSoft in 2006 (which are consequently not owned by Take-Two):
As of 2013, due to THQ's bankrupcy, the following companies' properties are no longer considered subject to ESA protection unless determined otherwise:
Quote:
- THQ, Inc
- # Blue Tongue Entertainment
- # Kaos Studios
- # Locomotive Games
- # Mass Media, Inc.
- # Midway Studios (San Diego)
- # Outrage Entertainment
- # Paradigm Entertaiment
- # Rainbow Arts
- # Relic Entertaiment
- # Valusoft
- # Vigil Games
- # Volition Inc
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