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]

Brash officially shutting down [Variety]

I saw this game when I visited Brash in New York a little while ago — the build I saw was very early, and being unfamiliar with the film, I couldn't tell how well it captured the aesthetic, but it did look cute, showing some scenes of a tiny little mouse whose friend was unhappy with his distinct un-mousiness. Despereaux isn't really interested in scurrying around and chewing things up — he kind of just wants to save a human princess. Aw.

Definitely a kids' title, though. It's still interesting to see how cross-media proliferates, a game from a movie from a novel. Full announcement and screens after the jump.

BRASH ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS A SMALL HERO ON A BIG ADVENTURE IN ‘THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX’ VIDEOGAME

Hollywood Based Publisher Developing Videogame Extension of this Holiday’s Highly-Anticipated Animated Adventure from Universal Pictures, Based on Newbery Award-Winning Book

Los Angeles, CA., July 10, 2008 – Brash Entertainment today announced development for The Tale of Despereaux, an interactive game based on Universal Pictures’ animated adventure of the same name. The game shares the fairy-tale look and feel of the upcoming film about a chivalrous mouse, full of courage and honor. The Tale of Despereaux game—created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group—will release in conjunction with the film, which arrives in theatres on December 19, 2008.

Directed by Sam Fell & Rob Stevenhagen and produced by Gary Ross and Allison Thomas, The Tale of Despereaux features the voice talent of Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale, Ciaran Hinds, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, James Nesbitt, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson and Sigourney Weaver.

The game will follow and extend the film’s storyline in adventures spanning from the magical kitchen and colorful rooms of the castle to the dark dungeons of the rat lairs. An introductory training mode, mouse-centric unique abilities, upgradeable skills and objects, and a lot of courage, will help Despereaux face off against a multitude of animal enemies and human foes on his quest to save Princess Pea. Multiple difficulty settings will ensure that a wide range of adventurers can enjoy Despereaux’s heroics again and again.

“Whether charmed by the book or newly introduced to the characters via the film, children of all ages can expand on their love for Despereaux with this title,” said Mitch Davis, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Brash Entertainment. “We’re excited and proud to be translating this classic into an exciting, engaging and enriching game. “

“With its focus on publishing film-based games, Brash was the clear partner to develop the interactive adventure that would accompany the film and bring Despereaux to life on gaming screens,” said Bill Kispert, VP and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. “The game’s attention to detail will allow players to explore all the nooks and crannies of the whimsical Kingdom of Dor.”

The Tale of Despereaux will be available for the XBOX™ 360, PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ videogame system from Nintendo, and PC, and is set to scurry onto shelves this winter.

About The Tale of Despereaux Film

Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Dor, there was magic in the air, laughter aplenty and gallons of mouthwatering soup. But an accident left the King broken-hearted, the Princess filled with longing and the townsfolk without their soup. Sunlight disappeared. The world became gray. All hope was lost in this land…until Despereaux Tilling was born.

A modern fairy tale, The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of several unlikely heroes: Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a brave mouse banished to the dungeon for speaking with a human; Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a good-hearted rat who loves light and soup, but is exiled to darkness; Pea (Emma Watson), a Princess in a gloomy castle who is prisoner to her father’s grief; and Mig (Tracey Ullman), a servant girl who longs to be a Princess, but is forced to serve the jailer (Robbie Coltrane).

Tiny and graced with oversized ears, Despereaux was born too big for his little world. Refusing to live his life cowering, he befriends a Princess named Pea and learns to read (rather than eat) books—reveling in stories of knights, dragons and fair maidens. Banished from Mouseworld for being more man than mouse, Despereaux is rescued by another outcast, Roscuro, who also wants to hear the tales. But when the Princess dismisses Roscuro’s friendship, he becomes the ultimate rat and plots revenge with fellow outsider Mig.

After Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux discovers he is the only one who can rescue her…and that even the tiniest mouse can find the courage of a knight in shining armor. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one small creature will teach a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show the truth: what you look like doesn’t equal what you are.
About Brash Entertainment

Brash Entertainment (www.brashent.com) is a video game company focused on developing compelling, high-quality games based on theatrical properties. By collaborating closely with top creative talent from both Hollywood and the game industry, Brash delivers deeply satisfying games that extend the filmmakersʼ vision into the best possible entertainment experience for gamers. The company has long-term partnerships with leading Hollywood studios including Lions Gate Films, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, Universal Studios Licensing, Vanguard Animation, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Currently, Brash has more than 40 licenses and 12 games in production across all genres including kids, horror, action, and adventure games. Launched with significant investment from a group of investors lead by Abry Partners LLC, Brash is committed to opening creative avenues for filmmakers and game developers, and providing gamers with exciting new ways to engage with the stories, characters, and drama of their favorite movies.

About Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group

Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) is responsible for global digital product development, production, licensing, distribution, and growth strategy for the extensive catalogue of Universal’s properties across new and emerging digital platforms, including mobile, video game consoles, personal computers, and other portable devices. With a worldwide mandate to help shape the digital future of Universal Pictures, the Group has offices in Universal City, California; London, England; and Tokyo, Japan.

Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group is a unit of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is a division of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.

“Six Flags is synonymous with great family fun, and Brash Entertainment is committed to bringing fantastic family entertainment to the gaming world,” said David McKillips, Vice President of Corporate Alliances for Six Flags. “Six Flags Fun Park is the next best thing to actually being inside the park. Now families can keep their favorite theme park gaming skills fresh year round.”

I am sorry if I am taking the piss here, but I cannot see a collection of mini-games coming anywhere near recreating the Six Flags experience. Now if they fill each case with biting gnats that break your air conditioning, then we'll be in business.

Brash Entertainment and Six Flags Partner to Admit Gamers of All Ages to Six Flags Fun Park Videogame

LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Brash Entertainment, in partnership with Six Flags Inc., (NYSE:SIX), announced today the development of Six Flags® Fun Park, a videogame releasing in North America that brings the thrills and chills of a Six Flags theme park to the family living room. Featuring uniquely themed areas and mini-games representative of a visit to Six Flags park, this new videogame ensures that summer fun continues all year round.

Calling gamers of all ages - Six Flags Fun Park, welcomes the whole family into a virtual theme park filled with everyone’s favorite games, all re-imagined within a colossal park environment that is sure to keep gamers challenged. Upon entrance to the game, players are tasked with quests that encourage them to explore the park’s zany universe. After creating a unique custom character, Six Flags Fun Park patrons can test their skills, win prizes, and play against friends and family with 40 mini-games.

“Everyone has memories of visiting theme parks with their families, and having a great time with games like the Ring Toss and Bumper Cars,” said Mitch Davis, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Brash Entertainment. “With Six Flags Fun Park, we are re-imagining these time-honored tests of luck and skill, and launching the first virtual park in the Six Flags family, while taking advantage of today’s most popular gaming systems.”

“Six Flags is synonymous with great family fun, and Brash Entertainment is committed to bringing fantastic family entertainment to the gaming world,” said David McKillips, Vice President of Corporate Alliances for Six Flags. “Six Flags Fun Park is the next best thing to actually being inside the park. Now families can keep their favorite theme park gaming skills fresh year round.”

The creation of Six Flags Fun Park demonstrates the way that Brash Entertainment continues to redefine licensed games for the gaming and entertainment industry. Explained Davis, “Brash has already announced partnerships with leading film companies such as Lionsgate Films, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, Vanguard Animation, and Warner Bros. Six Flags is the world's largest regional theme park company; by teaming up with them, we continue to prove our strength in collaborating with the top brands in entertainment and bring the gaming experience to new fans.”

Six Flags Fun Park will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ videogame systems from Nintendo. This game has not yet been rated, and will be available at North American retailers this fall 2008.

In a setup similar to Guitar Hero's venue progression, the squirrel-like annoyances will screech their way from high school gyms to Burning Man. Despite our once unabashed love for both the former show and movie, we're now older, wiser and way more knowledgeable about studio enhancement. You lied to us, Alvin. And we'll never forgive you for it.

Brash To Publish Alvin And The Chipmunks Rhythm Game [gamasutra]

They may not yet have a game to their name, but Brash sure is lining up the film studios for future deals.

The recently announced development studio said today that they have inked "long term deals" with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios and Vanguard Animation, adding the quartet to the already unveiled relationship with Lions Gate Films.

So far all we've heard about from Brash concerns money and studio deals, I'll be interested to see how things shape up once they have a game to show us. We all know that for the most part, games based on movies have plenty of room for improvement. Brian Crecente

Thomas Tull, the guy behind Legendary Pictures, which is the studio behind Batman Begins and 300, and Mitch Davis, the guy behind up-and-coming movie-centric dev Brash, gave a little talk today at the Hollywood & Games gathering touching on several interesting things, not least of which was their work on the upcoming World of Warcraft movie.

Alice Taylor, our very bestest friend at the BBC and occasional Kotaku contributor, has a not write up on their introductory speech.

I think my very favorite part of the whole speech was when Tull decided to drop the ET game into his speech as some sort of proof he was a gamer as a child. Bad call Thomas, really bad call. He does redeem himself later in the speech by saying he's a big fan of Gears of War and even mentions CliffyB, not even using the dev's given name. Really, the most interesting bit of his talk was about World of Warcraft, and I snip:

The other thing I want to talk about here, this is Hollywood and Games, we mentioned WoW movie. I have very strong feelings from the movie side, making games into movies just because they sold well, pretty bad idea. What we look for, it doesn't matter whether it's a graphic novel, or a television show, if there's a great mythology and story and a jumping off point that we can use in that world, well that's really interesting. Warcraft: yes it's interesting that 8m play, but if those guys all bought three tickets each, we'd still be in trouble. We got excited because of the depth of the story.

We're at an exciting crossroads. Taking these mediums, these talented people, given where we are today, using that... we can have a good outcome.

Nice perspective there, and also nice to know they're not just going to try and bank on the popularity of the game to make the film. Now if we could get developers to do the same thing with movie-licensed games. Brian Crecente

Hollywood & Games: notes from Thomas Tull & Mitch Davis [Wonderland]

Good news everyone, developer-guns-for-hire Brash Entertainment told Variety today that they have managed to raise $400 million in funds to start pumping out games based on movies, television and, yes, even music.

Boy, I can't wait to play the PS3 version of My Humps.

Variety is reporting that the company already has projects in the work based on movies from five studios and is already working on a dozen movie-based titles including one on Saw and another on 300. Yes, 300 has already been done, poorly, but perhaps Brash can knock it down a few more notches.

What I love most about this company is how completely upfront they are about what they're doing. They are not in the business to be original or make smash hits, they told Variety, they just want to make money. OK, that's not how they put it, but it was pretty damn close to that.

I guess it's been a long-time in coming, the video game industry is finally getting its C movie developers, expect loads of tripe. Brian Crecente

Brash game for Hollywood [Variety]