Rumors of the Lair developers closure surfaced in December of last year, following rumors that half of the staff had been let go. The rumors pointed towards the cancellation of their Superman project due to the failure of Brash Entertainment as a major factor in the layoffs and closing, which is backed up by the official statement appearing on the Factor 5 website today.

We are sorry to announce the closure of the San Rafael-based Factor 5 Inc. studio, but the obstacles created by the sudden bankruptcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate.

Note that this development doesn't mean the end to the Factor 5 name. The statement continues:

Factor 5 GmbH, which has been creating games since 1998 with its headquarters in Cologne, Germany, is completely unrelated to Factor 5 Inc. and the circumstances surrounding Factor 5 Inc.'s recent challenges. Although we are saddened by Factor 5 Inc.'s situation, our corporation will remain unaffected by these developments and has partnered with both old and new friends in the industry who will reveal our upcoming projects over the next months.

In other words, that other company had problems, and the German branch of Factor 5 would like to put as much distance between those problems and it as humanly possible.

We extend our sympathy to those left jobless by the studio's closing, even if most of them have hopefully moved on to bigger and better things by now.

Factor 5 Website [Official Site]

And I'm not just saying that because the Saw video game is based on the Saw movie franchise. Many of the major elements in the game – the setting, hunting down and killing other people – are also the major elements of other survival horror games like Condemned or Manhunt.

But the insta-death? I haven't seen something that harsh since the first level of arcade classic Dragon's Lair – where if you didn't duck in the first five seconds, you could kiss all the quarters in your pocket goodbye.

What Is It?
Saw is the game that Brash Entertainment was going to publish before they went belly up. It's coming out on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360; and will supposedly fill in a lot of the plot gaps between the two films.

What We Saw
Konami's Gamers Night included a massive screening of three minutes' worth of a demo made from pre-alpha code that may not actually be a real level in the final game. Following the presentation, I got to play the full demo on the PS3 which clocked in at six minutes, counting both times I died during the get-the-bear-trap-off-your-head sequence.

How Far Along Is It?
The demo build was pre-alpha. The game is slated for an October 2009 release.

What Needs Improvement?
Visual Cues: Like the movie, all the "clues" you need to solve a death puzzle are in the room with you. But thanks to pre-alpha code, not all the necessary visual cues were in place. For example, during the opening bear-trap challenge, there is an icon onscreen that tells the user to rotate the left stick to wind part of the trap. But other other part of the puzzle is subtler – there's a red light on the device that supposedly looks like the B button the 360. But because I was playing on PS3, not only did I not immediately notice the visual cue, but when I did the second time, I pressed X and not Circle, because really – how the hell was I supposed to know which button they meant?

Flashbacks: Currently, there is no explanation whatsoever for the parts of the game where you see something like a torture chair and suddenly experience a flashback to someone else getting tortured. Is the main character psychic? Did he actually witness the act and have legitimate memories to flashback to? Right now, it just looks like they desperately want to freak you out and they don't care about continuity to pull it off.

Visual Fatigue: I know the game is supposed to be scary, I know the movies are incredibly gory – but if I'm going to slog through 8-10 hours or more of a linear game, I'm going to need a visual break from the visceral horror once in a while or else it will all get stale and headache-inducing.

What Should Stay The Same?
Think Fast!: If they nail the visual cues thing, I don't actually have a problem with the insta-death. For example, part of the demo involves going through a booby-trapped door. You've already been warned about it (because they want you to finish the demo, not fling cans of soda at it), but not explicitly told how to deal with it. Because I'm a natural pansy, I got it on the first go by opening the door and not immediately mashing forward on the analog stick. By just standing there, I had plenty of time to watch the pulley part of the trap go upwards – spotting the big Triangle button in time to actually press the button and avert the shotgun blast to the head.

The Element of Surprise: I don't know that a game couldn't really stay scary if you had to go through the same insta-death puzzles over and over again; but a developer John Williams told me in an interview that many of the puzzles in the game are randomly generated at each encounter and that some of death traps actually won't be instant. For example, the shotgun-rigged door won't always kill you – just royally mess you up once in a while. Little uncertainties like these make the game that much more interesting than your average movie licensed game.

Final Thoughts
I'm on the fence about the other people in the asylum with your character. Over and over again during the demo, the developer (and villain Jigsaw) stress that you shouldn't trust anyone and that there will be characters throughout the game that are either trying to kill you, manipulate you or beg you for help to kill someone else. This dynamic could be interesting – if there were someone you really want to help. If not and you should trust no one, it'll get a little boring when the next horribly maimed person runs away from you in a darkened, blood-stained corridor.

But, if we see more movie games striving to be more like other games such as Condemned or Manhunt instead of trying to be entirely faithful to the movie, I call that a win and salute Saw.

Variety's The Cut Scene has first details and a handful of screen shots of Konami's newest acquisition, confirming earlier reports that Saw would join Silent Hill as horrific accompaniment to its stable of franchises.

The Saw game, developed by Zombie Studios, developers of the recently announced Blacklight and various U.S. Army funded game projects, is expected to ship alongside the theatrical release of Saw VI for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC this Fall.

With Silent Hill: Shattered Memories also recently confirmed for the Wii, will Konami have a double-dose of horror planned for 2009?

Head over to The Cut Scene for more in-game and concept art shots, as well as additional details.

Will Saw be Konami's second great horror franchise? (Plus, first screenshots) [The Cut Scene]

Unseen 64, where games goes when they die, has concept screen shots and a brief video of the planned PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game, visuals dating back to when Factor 5 employees were still being paid. It looks good enough, but also looks about as finished as the Flash game that BottleRocket was working on for Brash before the publisher's collapse.

And Doomsday looks spectacular.

There's really not much to see here, outside of a few environment concepts and early visual direction. The game was due to ship sometime in 2010, following a formal announcement at E3 2008 (which never happened).

More screens and a brief pre-rendered concept at Unseen 64.

Superman (Factor 5) [X360/PS3 - Cancelled] [Unseen64 - thanks, Miklós!]

In development at Bottlerocket Entertainment, the same of Splatterhouse infamy, The Flash was just one entry in a long list of titles that Brash had in the works before a string of crap releases caused it to fold, mercifully. Hopefully, they'll do no more damage.

A few alleged shots of the game, listed as an "Unannounced Title" for the Xbox 360, were dug up by superannuation. The give us a quick glimpse of Central City, The Flash and a very tiny Mirror Master.

Chris Rushton, a company vice president, tells us:

Sensory Sweep has undergone some significant hardships since Brash Entertainment went out of business. We dispute some of the factual claims listed on-line regarding our business situation. We are working out an agreement with the Department of Labor. We are very grateful to our employees who have been working so hard alongside us to get through these troubled times.

Sensory Sweep had been working on Tales of Despereaux for Brash until that publisher went belly up back in November. The title was later published by Atari. Sensory Sweep's other products have included Jackass: The Game for the DS and Alvin and the Chipmunks for the Wii, DS, PC and PS2.

Yesterday, Kotaku reported that the federal government has been investigating Sensory Sweep since October over allegations of unpaid wages, both regular and overtime. The Labor Department investigation determined that the studio owed current and former employees $2,018,437.30. That would make this the largest unpaid wages case in the history of the state of Utah.

A hearing on an injunction is scheduled for tomorrow in U.S. District Court before Judge Dee Benson. The Labor Department wants to stop Sensory Sweep from shipping any finished products to publishers.

That's an "incredible fantasy world"?

Okamoto told 1UP at the Tokyo Game Show that his team was developing the Tom and Jerry game for Brash, which specialized in movie-licensed titles like Alvin & the Chipmunks, Jumper and Space Chimps. The publisher was reported to have shut down operations in November, according to Variety.

Tom and Jerry wouldn't have been Game Republic's first licensed venture. It developed Dragon Ball: Origins for the Nintendo DS and Brave Story: New Traveler for the PSP.

No word yet on whether Game Republic's plans for Tom and Jerry have been shelved, but one Game Republic game that North Americans shouldn't hold out for is the PlayStation Network title Dark Mist. Okamoto says that he doesn't expect SCEA to release it in the region, despite already being localized.

Update: Apparently not! That "[laughs]" should have tipped me off that Okamoto was just being facetious about making a Tom and Jerry game. I don't get Japanese humor, y'know! Game Republic is rumored to be working on both a Clash of the Titans remake and a second 300 video game.

Yoshiki Okamoto Explains What's Up With Game Republic [1UP]

Animator Sam Baker wrote on his personal blog, via 1UP, that after a brief leave of absence at another company, he'd returned to "find out no one at Factor 5 had been paid in a month.... and we weren't going to any time soon." Baker writes that the financial situation became more dire, with health benefits being cut.

And then? "Then things turned bad..." he wrote.

Baker writes that the project he and other Factor 5 employees were working on was put on hold, citing a lack of "proper funding."

He notes that the nixed project was already eight months into development. In March, the doomed Brash Entertainment announced it had signed on Factor 5 to do a licensed game due in 2010. Baker writes in a follow up post (he has since deleted the original post and all other entries from his blog) that "This does not mean that we've stopped production on [the Brash] game, or that it was ever even in trouble."

In his original post, Baker paints a very gloomy financial picture for Factor 5, writing that president Julian Eggebrecht "basically told us that if we didn't receive funding in 1 week, all of us should move on and look elsewhere for another job." His subsequent post reads like an attempt to retract some of that.

Factor 5's last game, Lair, was released in 2007 to a mostly negative response. It was rumored to be working on a Wii title and a game based on DC Comics' Superman.

We're reaching out to Factor 5 to try to learn more about the situation.

More Raining, More Pouring... [Blogspot via 1UP]

The blog Bloody Disgusting, quoting unidentified sources, says SAW is seeking a new home. The project was near completion and voiceover work had already begun.

Of course, this is similar to how Ghostbusters bounced about when Sierra bit the dust — movie IP, nearly finished game — and maybe that bodes well for SAW's survival. But they're also completely different films, with different fan bases, so who knows.

When last heard from, SAW was a third-person survival horror game, produced by David S. Cohen and powered by Unreal Engine 3. Decent credentials, so if you were at all curious about this game, there's a reasonable shot you could see it.

Exclusive Saw the Video Game Update [Bloody Disgusting, via Destructoid]

Brash sued by two developers [Variety]

Brash officially shutting down [Variety]

More than 20 people have been let go across multiple departments, according to a Brash spokesperson.

Affected by this move will also be the closing of some open positions that the company had planned to fill this fiscal year. Employees affected by this action will receive severance and extended benefits. Brash Entertainment will continue to strategically work on its business including the upcoming release of Six Flags Fun Park for the Wii scheduled for this December, and a video game based on the SAW movie franchise for release in 2009.

Variety is reporting that the struggling developer's problems go much deeper.

According to the story that ran early this morning, Brash is working with studios to return licenses or sell them to other publishers. They've also stopped paying developers.

Variety also reports that the company has canned Superman which it was working on with Factor 5.

Tough times all around, it seems.

SG reports that the developer is working on a video game adaption of the Maurice Sendak-penned classic. While we haven't been able to tie down any sort of official statement about the rumor, on its surface it seems to make sense. The upcoming movie is already in development by Legendary Films. And none other than Thomas Tull, founder and head of the studio, sits on Brash Entertainment's board.

Now if they could only grab the rights for In The Night Kitchen!

Rumor 2.0 - Brash developing “Where the Wild Things Are” [Sarcastic Gamer]

"I don't think it's quite done, but I heard that on the wind last year that they were trying to do it," said Knepper. "You know the whole thing with an escape, they were working on a videogame where you plot your own escape from prison."

Brash plans Prison Break [Gamespot UK via Videogamer.com]

I often hear longtime platformer fans complain they don't make 'em like they used to, and bemoan the perceived "selling out" of their favorite mascot franchises, when all they want is the great gap-skipping of old that they remember from their younger days.

Most of us were kids during the 3D platformer heyday. So maybe, though, just maybe, if any of those games were to be released today, we'd say they looked like children's games. Brash Entertainment's upcoming Space Chimps film tie-in platformer is a kids' game, and giving it a whirl today was what made me think about days of yore.

It doesn't look too fancy, and it's aimed to be friendly to the younger set. But it sure took me back a bit, which was a surprisingly fun experience.

Space Chimps is hitting Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PS2 on July 15th, just a bit ahead of the film. I was only vaguely aware there was a film - it's summertime, after all, and between Kung-Fu Panda and Wall-E, I asked the rep if Brash was a little bit concerned about the release timing. Why not wait until there's a bit more of a lull in the mascot-led, kid-friendly animated flicks?

"I do think with school out, we'll be in good shape," she told me.

The game's based on the upcoming film, and features animated cutscenes from it, which looked adorable on the Xbox 360. The basic premise is that a pair of NASA chimps, descendants of the very first space monkeys, find themselves on an alien planet, tasked with rescuing its citizens from the rule of an evil overworld.

The Space Chimps game lets you play as either Ham the Third, the male monkey, or Luna, his female cohort, depending on what sequence you're playing through. Ham can brawl and do a sort of diving headbutt, while Luna soon picks up a little lizard buddy (exclusive to the game) who can ride on her sleeve and act as a first-person gun. There are also little exploding red dudes called Plodeys that you can pick up to hurl at walls to open new doors and solve puzzles.

After clearing an area with Ham, by beating up some spear-toting hostile aliens and opening my way forward with a Plodey, I got to navigate Luna through a cavern of rivers and floes. Leaping on chunks of stone as they fell down a waterfall (that was either hot, or poisonous, or just generally hazardous enough to induce death) reminded me of the simplicity of the early 3D platformers - and the frustration, too, which was not necessarily a bad thing.

With Luna, I knocked off the head of a statue and carried it to a button, which would keep the platform I needed from sinking. The whole works was old-school, and nothing real snazzy to look at, but the chimps look cute, the film looks like it could be lots of fun, to the extent that those character flicks always do, and I was surprised at how long I spent playing it.

Maybe I miss my roots? What do you guys think - do you miss the old 3D platformers? Think your current age has anything to do with it? Would you play a "kids' game" if it reminded you of what you used to enjoy?

The publisher has deals in place with developers Factor 5 and Game Republic to work on unannounced movie tie-ins and the publisher is behind a Saw video game, but we have to be worried for Brash's fate. Alvin & the Chipmunks reportedly sold well to the shovelware buying crowd, but it appears that Jumper: Griffin's Story only sold 16,000 copies. Ouch.

Changes at the top of Brash; Jumper sold 16,000 units [The Cut Scene]

We're already working on a title that is more than two years out, and because the filmmaker is a game fan who is really excited about how we want to expand on the story of the film, we've been given a lot of latitude. It's been really fun to dig deep into this universe.

Brash Entertainment Signs Multi-Game Development Deal With Factor 5

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 13 /PRNewswire/ — Brash Entertainment today announced a game development deal with California-based game development studio, Factor 5. Under the terms of the worldwide agreement, the partners will collaborate on an unnamed title releasing in 2010 to be announced around the E3 Expo in July.

In addition to creating the multi-million selling STAR WARS: ROGUE SQUADRON franchise, INDIANA JONES, CONTRA: THE ALIEN WARS, LAIR and the classic TURRICAN franchise, Factor 5 is well respected for driving the technology of games. Factor 5 was a technology partner in the development of Nintendo's Wii and GameCube consoles, provider of the MusyX sound tools, partner in the Sony PlayStation 3 Edge toolset group, and has pioneered many technological advancements in the areas of audio and visuals in video games in collaboration with Dolby Labs, THX, and AMD/ATI.

"We do our due diligence on potential partners; we want to understand their in-house tech, and get to know their team and its capabilities. Factor 5 has a solid track record in creating licensed games that, in combination with their technology expertise, makes them an ideal partner," said Mitch Davis. "But what really cemented the collaboration was their passion for the IP and the world in which the game will live. Because that's when you are going to get really good games — when the people who are making it are really enjoying the process."

"Typically, there are two issues developers have with making a licensed game. First, they tend to have shorter development cycles. Second, there are often very tight constraints on how you can portray the world of the
IP, its characters and story. The resulting lack of creative freedom can be very frustrating — especially when it's a world you are excited to explore," said Julian Eggebrecht, President and Co-founder of Factor 5. "But collaborating with Brash is much different, we're already working on a title that is more than two years out, and because the filmmaker is a game fan who is really excited about how we want to expand on the story of the film, we've been given a lot of latitude. It's been really fun to dig deep into this universe."

"In collaborating with Brash, we were introduced to a very compelling fictional world and given the freedom to expand it through the game. We are working directly with the creative talent from the film, and feel that the close collaboration will result in an amazing game play experience that immerses the player in an incredible fantasy world."

Brash Entertainment Partners with Game Republic, Inc.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 12 /PRNewswire/ — Today Brash Entertainment announced a game development deal with Game Republic, Inc., the Japan-based studio led by famed game producer Yoshiki Okamoto. Under the terms of the worldwide agreement, the partners will collaborate on an unannounced game based on a popular Hollywood film. The game will release in 2010.

Game Republic, Inc. was founded in 2003 under the leadership of industry visionary, Yoshiki Okamoto. A 20-year veteran of the game industry, Game Republic, Inc. CEO Okamoto has had a dramatic impact on the styles of gameplay prevalent in modern titles and is credited with pioneering new genres including "one-on-one fighting" with Street Fighter II and "survival horror" with Resident Evil. In addition, his teams have delivered such popular franchises as Lost Planet, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Darkstalkers and many more.

"As a gamer, I am extremely excited to work with Okamoto-san, who has produced some of my favorite games," said Brash co-founder and CEO Mitch Davis. "The Brash business gives us the luxury to match the best Hollywood IP with the skills of the most talented independent game developers; our partnership with a strong studio such as Game Republic, Inc. is an excellent example of that."

"One of my goals with games is to do something revolutionary with something that has been never been seen before. The opportunity to re-imagine a fictional world provided by a compelling Hollywood IP using the interactive medium of games is very exciting to me," said Okamoto. "In collaborating with Brash, we were introduced to a very compelling fictional world and given the freedom to expand it through the game. We are working directly with the creative talent from the film, and feel that the close collaboration will result in an amazing game play experience that immerses the player in an incredible fantasy world."

Leigh and I are very excited about this new venture. We are big gaming fans and we think it would a great opportunity to continue the SAW legacy into a different platform/medium. Keeps things fresh for us anyway. A lot of people have asked us if we would be interested in writing another SAW movie...well, we are writing another SAW story...but it's for the game. We're treating this story like the SAW movies with lots of twists and turns. We have no idea how that is going to apply to a computer game format, considering that most games are generally pretty simple in it's plotting. Maybe its a good thing that Leigh and I are naive to the video game world and that we're writing it like its a movie!

Ah yes, ignorance is bliss, and could make for a relatively blissful video game version of Saw, at least until the game developers get a hold of the script and pull a more horrifying hack job on it than anything Jigsaw could have come up with.

Still, it's good to see such an important person to the franchise working on the game. It's not every day you get the creator of a movie working on a video game adaptation, much less the creator who is also the executive producer of the most popular horror franchise of the last few years.

The New Year - 2008 [James Wan's MySpace Blog - Via WhatUpThug]

And then they started licensing the awesome concept for video games!! Due out on Halloween October 2009 for Xbox 360 and PS3, we CAN'T WAIT! Developed by Brash Entertainment with the Unreal Engine 3, supposedly the game will be the result of close movie to game studio collaboration.

Oh, and to all the Saw fans. I'm sorry. (Not about this post, but that you've been sucked into liking crappy movies.) Oh, I kid. I love you all and have already judged you as perfect for reading my ramblings.

WhoIsJigsaw [Official Site via GameLife]