Company News Codex Scoop: Brian Fargo has acquired the trademark for Torment (but not Planescape)

[Infinitron]

Tags: Brian Fargo; InXile Entertainment; Torment: Tides of Numenera

Yesterday we reported about Colin McComb's recent blog post, where he hinted at some kind of Planescape: Torment successor on the horizon. In fact, it appears that certain individuals were aware of this news over two weeks prior to that. Sadly, our pleas for more information were met only with cold, cruel silence.

Enter notorious Codex stalker spy Roguey. A search for "Torment" on the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office turned this up:​

​

​

Who is this Roxy Friday, you ask? Take a look at this article back from inXile's casual gaming days:​

Twelve trademark applications that include the phrase “with friends” have apparently been filed on behalf of Brian Fargo, the CEO of inXile entertainment.​

While the trademark filings are public, it took a little sleuthing to link Brian Fargo to the applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which include “Dominos with Friends”, “Sudoku with Friends”, and even “Crosswords with Friends” among the list.​

The applicant for each record is Roxy Friday, LLC, whose active officers include none other than Brian Fargo.​

Well then, the plot thickens! Keep in mind however that these rights are for the title "Torment" only and do not include the Planescape setting, which belongs to Wizards of the Coast. Colin McComb intends to follow up on his original blog post with more information about this topic, so stay tuned.

 

[hoverdog]

Roguey

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[Minttunator]

Well, this is fairly interesting - although I must admit I'd be more interested in another game based on the Planescape setting rather than the Torment IP, since the latter came to a pretty conclusive conclusion in PS:T.

 

[ironyuri]

Q3, 2014:

Torment: The Adventures of The Nameless One & Friends.

Coming to a Gamestop near you.

 

[Diablo169]

I'd rather Obsidian had it to be honest.

 

[Infinitron]

I'd rather Obsidian had it to be honest.

Well, I'm fairly sure this will end up as another inXile-Obsidian coop project.

 

[Zed]

I think it's fair to call Roguey both a stalker and a spy.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Right, so what exactly is this except the license to name a game "Torment"?
Does it include the right on the characters (which were not directly taken from PS, of course) and the story?

Whatever anyway. Do not care for Torment Eternity.

 

[Primordial Soup Nazi]

Brain Fargo really seems to want to make up for lost time in the cRPG genre.

 

[Infinitron]

Right, so what exactly is this except the license to name a game "Torment"?
Does it include the right on the characters (which were not directly taken from PS, of course) and the story?

Nothing, probably. Hopefully Colin's next blog post will reveal more of what he has in mind.

The first step in designing a new Torment story is to ask the primary question. I’m older than I was when I worked on Torment, and my questions now are different than they were. I have children now, and I look at the world through their eyes and through mine, and that’s changed me – in fact, the intervening years have changed me so much that I have new answers for the central story in the original Torment. So now that I know what can change the nature of a man, I ask: What does one life matter? … and does it matter at all?

Then I’d re-examine the fundamentals of the setting. I’d put it someplace other than Planescape (and I’ll explain why in a followup). I’d use a system other than D&D, because I’d want to align the player’s story axes along different lines than Good/Evil or Law/Chaos to something more subjective. The core of Torment is, after all, a personal story, and while we can be judged by others on the basis of our actions, arbitrarily aligning those actions on an external and eternally fixed line removes some of the agency from the player’s game.

I have a lot of ideas about what to put into a new Torment game, but my primary goal would be to help the player tell a story that was evocative of the original Torment without aping it. To be faithful to the odyssey of the Nameless One, and to recognize that it has ended, and that stories of Torment are ongoing.

 

[bussinrounds]

Well, this is fairly interesting - although I must admit I'd be more interested in another game based on the Planescape setting rather than the Torment IP, since the latter came to a pretty conclusive conclusion in PS:T.

Exactly. Get the Planescape license.

 

[Brother None]

I love the 'Dex

Also apparently Colin's commented but his reply "awaits moderation"? What is this faggotry?

I'd rather Obsidian had it to be honest.

Why? I mean, other than "Obsidian has MCA". Studio is just a studio, isn't it more important who gets to work on it? Maybe that's just me though. I'm pretty impressed by the team inXile has been putting together, including a name or two to make the Dex do the fangirl squee thing.

Well, this is fairly interesting - although I must admit I'd be more interested in another game based on the Planescape setting rather than the Torment IP, since the latter came to a pretty conclusive conclusion in PS:T.

I agree. But as mentioned in another thread, isn't Planescape retired? If and whens are nice. But if it's gone, it's gone.

Though even MCA's noted he'd do a spiritual sequel to Torment without AD&D. I kinda get that.

 

[mindx2]

My, the Codex is now a prestigious "investigative" magazine.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Yeah, if it's not characters either, then what the hell does it have to do with Torment?

The core of Torment is, after all, a personal story,

Well, he's certainly not taking any freedoms. Personal story... as opposed to what? The other millions of personal stories?

Hurray! Random story called Torment to cash in on the name! I always wanted that!

 

[HobGoblin42]

In theory, the trademark 'Planescape' is available to register through the patent office (all previous entries are expired because they haven't been extended) . Unfortunately, the ownership of trademarks depend on more than this official registration.

 

[General Maxson]

This is good news!

 

[Infinitron]

including a name or two to make the Dex do the fangirl squee thing.

Agent Roguey, you have a new mission.

 

[l3loodAngel]

I'd rather Obsidian had it to be honest.

Why? I mean, other than "Obsidian has MCA". Studio is just a studio, isn't it more important who gets to work on it? Maybe that's just me though. I'm pretty impressed by the team inXile has been putting together, including a name or two to make the Dex do the fangirl squee thing.

Yeah just imagine Fargos moral dilemmas + scientists + PR Bullshit + no substance = Majectic!

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Hurray! Random story called Torment to cash in on the name! I always wanted that!

So...eh...do you actually get off on being arbitrarily reactionary about pieces of news which could actually be good news? I don't get it. What's in it for you to be you?

P.S. Crissakes, Roguey...just apply to the goddamn CIA already.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

interesting. What can they do with Torment but not the planescape setting?

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

interesting. What can they do with Torment but not the planescape setting?

Dunno. We'll have to wait and see.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...t-a-new-torment-rpg.78453/page-2#post-2393544

 

[l3loodAngel]

interesting. What can they do with Torment but not the planescape setting?

If whoever owns the IP will not get a talented team working together, it's purpose will be similar to EE, but with a fitting name on it.

 

[Zed]

Also apparently Colin's commented but his reply "awaits moderation"? What is this faggotry?

Nothing in my queue. JarlFrank and Ventilator mods news section so either he will have to wait for them, or spam in other parts of the forum. :D

 

[IronicNeurotic]

Why? I mean, other than "Obsidian has MCA". Studio is just a studio, isn't it more important who gets to work on it?

Yeah, but I have honestly more confidence in MCA, Ziets and Fenstermaker to write this sort of thing (which probably won't happen at InXile).

Including having already proven they are capable of doing so with Mask of the Betrayer. Looking at the credits of InXile's writers (regarding CRPG) not so much except for Colin.....

Edit: Nothing against InXile, of course. Just saying.