What do they mean legal issue? I thought Clover was a wholly owned subsidiary?

I don't care about the story that panda is just too cute.

What kind of excuse is that? They could easily remake the credits sans the logo.

Even if what Capcom stated was true (highly doubt), there was no reason the vid couldn't have been edited to take out the logo. Or they could have created new credits. Many re-releases of games have done the same.

So is it Capcom taking credit for others work, or is this like the cover art and them just being lazy?

shitty indeed. jesus capcom, give credit where its due to one of the finest games to come from your house in 10 years or so - and im saying that as a fan of most of your games.

This explains cloverfield....

Follow up: Would it have been so hard for someone to have gone and made an XML driven version of the end credit text? It would have probably taken any decent sort of programmer 1 afternoon to code it and then hand it off to a Jr. to fill in the credits file. Or would it have been so hard for them to ask Capcom (the damn owners of the game) for the source movie?

</rant>

Digg it.

Wow, that's one cursed port. First the logo disaster, now this.

gawd this really is an ass raping to the former Clover. Still i'm sure that it would be easy for staff members to prove they worked on the original title, I mean it sold very well in its original format and it was for that format it gained acclaim, still I feel sorry for them.

Awwwww. Its such a... Saaaaaaaaaaaad Panda!

Sounds to me that Capcom can't be arsed to look for the original source files. Likely the same reason for the box art.

That's low. They could've gone to mobygames or imdb and copy/pasted the original credits if they didn't want to edit the video.

This, and the box art from IGN thing, make it seem like a rush job.

Are they allowed to do that?
Surely there has to be some IP laws violated here.

hmm, if this doesn't cause a gamer riot, then we need to rethink our priorities.

C'mon, it couldn't have been that much trouble to watch the original credits, transcribe the names, and put them into whatever new credit system they had going on.
Sure, boring and tedious, but the least they can do to credit the original creators of the game.

If anything positive, at least they won't be tied to a port of the game with control issues. Perhaps if Clover Studios did it, the game would've come out much better...

Does anyone know if they cut the ending song as well?
If they did, no fucking way in hell that I'm buying this game.

I'd rather buy the PS2 version in that case. What about all the Clover logo's hidden in the game?

Oh, ouch.

That's one more strike against the famous capcom. Sooner or later I might just stop buying there games. And I have a good couple of their games. All of devil may cry, all of phoenix wright, hell all of marvel vs capcom, all of street fighter, and even the forbidden long lost darkstalker for ps1 and psp. Give credit where it is due or I as a gamer shall sue.

its a shame clover is no more.

Yeah, that's pretty lame on their part. This and the cover mishap point to a very unorganized and rushed port.

PS2 version seems better and better with each story.

What the hell? Were all digital assets and graphical source materials wiped from whatever networks they were stored on when Clover was dissolved?

In either case, it's a pretty bad move... I really enjoyed those end credits on the PS2 version. I recall there being some fancy animation and some really fruity music.

@Iceman B.:

good point. Anyone with the Wii version know if the hidden clovers are still in the game.

Oh really? Wow I guess I'm have to pick the PS2 version instead.

Man this is bullshit, apparently the same person responsible for the cover art had a hand in totally fucking up the end credits as well. good job capcom, I really hope those clover guys can get a studio together and start making games again.

@SeriousStu: Yes, alot of assets were lost when Clover was dissolved.

It's my understanding that alot of Okami had to be remade for the Wii because of this.

Capcom sounds like a pretty big asshole right now.

@Optimistic Prime: What control issues? I don't experience any control issues with the game.

That headline couldn't have come at a worse time, what, with poor Ling Ling's death and all.

This pisses me off beyond belief. I was the localization coordinator and was credited in the PS2 version, but now I don't get any credit? That's crap.

this is absolutely deplorable. ready at dawn are a talented bunch, but, of course, the real credit should be given to the team that created this game. capcom should be ashamed for even thinking of doing this. i'm completely disgusted. i know japan is certainly not the lawsuit-happy mess that america is, but i think they should use the court system to lay creative claim over the property and demand not financial remuneration, but creative credit.

Well...now we know how much Capcom cares about the Wii...

How can it be a legal issue? Surely the people who owned Clover wouldn't mind their own logo being displayed on their own game, even if it is a port. That's just rude is what that is.

They should have redone the credits. I'm glad I bought the original at release and haven't bitten on the Wii port. Sad, sad panda.

@JonC:
Not to make a slight against RAD, but given some of the issues with the Wii port, I think remaking the credits would've make their heads explode.
...ok, so maybe that's kind of a slight.

Anyway, would it have been THAT had to take the movie and just block out the Clover logo with a Ready At Dawn logo or something?!
Sheesh. They could've at least TRIED.

I've also heard, though haven't yet confirmed it, that the epilogue at the end where we learn who the narrator is is gone, too.
...can anyone who has beat it on Wii yet confirm if that's true or not?

It wouldn't have been that hard just to re-do them and have them scroll against a black screen. Capcom is just lazy.

While I still want to buy Okami, I do get a feeling Capcom really rushed it.

It kind of makes me almost not want more Viewtiful Joe ... almost.

This isn't the first time. The 'Gooch and his 'stache has had a similar problem. His name was cut out of all the GBA remakes of Final Fantasy which I think is shit.

It's hard to defend games as art when the corporations have their petty paw marks all over things.

If a game is remade, they should credit the original developers otherwise it's plain and simple plagiarism.

Hmmm, this topic would make an very interesting "investigative article" if some journalist were to write one up (/nudge /nudge /wink /wink).

This makes me feel guilty for playing the Wii version of the game and recommending it to anyone and everyone. It is such an incredible, wonderful game. If the next however many hours live up to the first 15, it will be up there with Resident Evil 4 in my "top games ever" list. Thanks to everyone at Clover for creating this game, they have reason to be proud. And Capcom has every reason to be ashamed for removing their names from this great game. Capcom should print the original Clover credits on the back of the new case inserts they're sending out to replace the IGN watermark cover -- along with a heartfelt apology and genuine thanks.

<--- one of many proud owners of the CLOVER Okami game.

Seriously, this potentially sets a VERY BAD precedent, where game publishers take previous games and port or update them, without crediting the original staff on the games.

Capcom seems to fail to realize that while there are those who don't care one way or another, that there are still those who WANT TO KNOW who originally made this game, and who did what to make it possible.

It's almost as if Capcom were re-writing history as to who did some of the phenomenal things in this game, and with such an artful game, like Okami, the omitting of the original staff is a horrible idea.

What's next? Striking Okamoto's name from every future port? Maybe Nintendo will somehow forget to put Shiguru's name on every Mario game that comesout in the future.

That's just piss poor and unacceptable, CAPCOM!!!

It's ok, Clover. I know you made this, Ill never forget you. Im even gonna go out and buy 'God Hand' for the PS2 since this wont be released anytime soon for the Wii in Euroland. I still hope for better relations between you and Capcom. I want to see 'Viewtiful Joe 3' a reality. :)

Wow, that really pisses me off!!!! I can't believe Capcom would do them like that!!! Somebody needs to come along and purchase Platinum Games, give them some money to make a successor to Okami. That really sucks.

That sucks big time for Clover...on the other hand, one of the greatest kotaku headlines I've ever seen

@RPGr: It's not "plagiarism". Capcom owns all of the rights to Okami and there is no video game devlopers guild that makes them include credits. I'm not saying it's morally right but they are not doing anything illegal.

In a large part this is a cultural thing. Clover is dead to Capcom. They were very apprehensive about porting Okami in the first place for just this reason. To acknowledge them after they have left the company could be seen as being shameful. Again I'm not saying it's right but you have to understand the forces at work here.

That's just deplorable. How can it even be legal? Well, they probably own the rights. Still, WTF... way to backstab them one more time.

Simple as always: Fuck you, Capcom. You didn't know what you had in Clover. Viewtiful Joe and Okami are some of the best games to be had, and also some of the most aesthetically creative.

So the people porting Okami couldn't spend half and hour or so scribbling down the names of the people involved and creating a new credits sequence??? White text scrolling on a black background wouldn't take even a new recruit more than a day or two to write.

That's really bad form from Capcom, they should re-release the Wii version with all the IGN logos removed and the Clover studio teams names back in the game to make up for this.

Epic Title

Good thing I didn't buy the Wii version. Fuck you Capcom for disbanding the team behind my favorite game of all time. They at least deserve some credit when it was you who stole their creation.

Well technically RaD remade the game almost from scratch and Capcom owns the IP, so legally there are no problems there.

But yeah, it kinda sucks how it all ended for Clover. I loved Okami and absolutely loved God Hand too. I hope that the rumors are true and they are making their next game with Suda 51.

that's F'd UP!!
if i work on a game like this, i'd be so pissed if i wasnt credited.