Gph Buys Rights To Roms

[WarmFluffyUK]

Gamepark Holdings co. LTD has announced that is has bought the rights to 26 arcade ROMs. GPH are excited about this as it now means it is legal for them to officially add "Arcade Emulator" to the Wiz's specifications.

This is very much the start of the new direction GPH are taking, as you know they are soon to be releasing some new games written by GPH.

1. Propis
2. Kattisier Pattier
3. Assura Cross Wire
4. Rythmos
5. Deicide3
6. Etc…

So when the FunGP website opens they will have a minimum of 30 games available, hopefully users shouldn't get bored, especially with the impending Game Coding Contest on the horizon.

Tony Han (Overseas Sales Manager at GPH) has asked me to convay the message:
"I will compensate your support by doing my work really hard and showing the world market that GPH has really changed."
Tony is doing his upmost to help us make the Wiz a very exciting machine indeed.

Here's a list of all ROMS GPH now own the rights to:

Tiger Heli
Get Star
Slap Fight
Flying Shark
Wardner
Twin Cobra
Rally Bike
Truxton
Hellfire
Twin Hawk
Demon's World
Zero Wing
Fire Shark
Snow Bros.
Out Zone
Vimana
Teki Paki
Ghox
Pipi & Bibi's
Truxton 2
Fixeight
Dogyuun
Grind Stormer
Knuckle Bash
Batsugun
Snow Bros. 2

Bye for now,
Clare.

 

[streak]

Is it some exclusive deal? The rights for this romlists are now GPH?, or they just made an non exclusive deal only to sell ROMS from FunGP.

BTW. I appreciate this move, GPH

 

[PokeParadox]

Cool! There are some games in that list that are quite fun too.

 

[geise69]

If they can fix the sound that plagues the Taoplan drivers for Batsugun and Dogyuun/Grind Stormer I will be very happy. Most of these games though are already available through FBAX or MAME. Regardless this is kind of nice to see. As long as the games/roms play like they should. Especially if we are paying for them.

 

[streak]

After few minutes of thinking..

From marketing POV this move could be really usefull if GPH bundles this roms with every new Wiz like previously relesed GP2X F100 Deluxe Pack. FunGP could sell these games, but i dont think it will makes any difference for people that owns wiz. These roms are really easy to get from web [ Just one click from google ] among other titles like games for CPS2. Bundling those games with new WIZ'es [as deluxe pack for christmass ] could really make a difference [ to the new buyers ]. Selling them via FunGP could be very difficult.

 

[skeezix]

The real meat is how they will be distributed..

1) Bundled into ROM or something for everyone to use (unlikely)
2) Sold individually with a copy of MAME (entirely likely)

Selling them is cool, but not really all that exciting, but still cool. More to point, it would give people an easy way to get a legal license to the ROM.. buy a game, eternal license to that ROM forever .. unless the license rights are very carefully nailed down. Say you buy a copy of Slap Fight with MAME (or whatever), does it include a 'shrinkwrap' contract saying this ROM license is only extended to the purchaser for the Wiz, or coudl they evne get away with that? (In the US the DMCA allows format shifting and such, for instance, and many countries have similar legislation.)

The legal side is interesting..

jeff

 

[craigix]

I don't think MAME allow that do they? Selling it in any way?

I think this money could have been better spent, but I guess they might be able to target the casual 80s arcade fans who don't understand downloading roms etc.

 

[skeezix]

Selling a ROM and bundling a MAME with it (also without it free to download) would probably satisfy the license (GPH is better about their licensing lately I think, too; kernel sources et al are on the level these days right?) Anyway, the poiint is selling the ROMs likely, not giving them away for free, and acquiring legal ROM licenses

jeff

 

[atomicthumbs]

Holy shit, all our Zero Wing are belong to GPH. (Except the Genesis version.)

 

[Squidge]

I don't think MAME allow that do they? Selling it in any way?

True, they don't allow it. However if you offer the rom with and without MAME for the same price, and also allow MAME to be downloaded seperately completely free or charge, I think that would comply with the license?

 

[EvilDragon]

No, that would still be commercial.

But GPH can offer the roms and people can download MAME from the archive.

 

[Franxis]

No, that would still be commercial.

But GPH can offer the roms and people can download MAME from the archive.

I'm not sure, but i think some of the games in the list don't run perfectly on MAME (bad sound, no sound, slow, etc). Maybe they could use FBA...

 

[jbrodack]

It's nice that they are trying to be as legitimate as they can I wonder how much money they are putting into such efforts. GPH has always stayed within their means and that is why they have haven't gone out of business and have actually brought out 2 open source consoles. I hope they don't overspend on these efforts to bring official content to the wiz. If they keep things reasonable their efforts should be really cool overall in that they have been fostering both homebrew and official efforts on the wiz.

 

[neko]

No, that would still be commercial.

But GPH can offer the roms and people can download MAME from the archive.

I'm not sure, but i think some of the games in the list don't run perfectly on MAME (bad sound, no sound, slow, etc). Maybe they could use FBA...

FBA has the same licensing problems as MAME. GPH doesn't have a good history of complying with licenses though.

 

[Game_over]

I think that is a pretty smart mover forward, and enough to be newsworthy again.


(just for the few that don't know)

To be clear with whoever comes across this thread (I know all members know this)I think this is worth saying:
Buying rights to something and purchasing the IP (intellectual property)are two different things (Although IP is technically a bundle of exclusive rights)

 

[BackAssward]

Everything else aside... should GPH marketing shpeal be posted in the News section? The original post sounds like written fellatio to GPH. Does being a mod mean you get to create a news entry that is basically doing marketing for GPH? I remember thinking Chip had a conflict of interests being both PR (for OP) and a mod... I think this thread is getting close to being a conflict also.

 

[gruso]

Don't be so uptight! It's well known that she helps GPH communicate with the English speaking forums. What's wrong with that?

Conflict of interest = lol.

[edit] On topic: This is an interesting move by GPH. I hope they have some success with it.

 

[jbrodack]

This site was built on their products so I don't think there is anything wrong with news of their developments. I don't see how this isn't news. If "the gp2x wiz is the best portable console ever!!!" was posted as news then there would be a problem.

 

[Lafazar]

I would love to see a legal source for old ROMs and old games. Something like "good old games" (www.gog.com) for ROMs: Pay once, download as many times as you wish and no DRM that prevents you from copying the game wherever you wish. Oh, and lots of bonus materials like soundtracks, manuals, etc.

The current situation for emulation is very unsatisfying because it is illegal. I would be willing to pay for my ROMs, and I'm sure there are others who think the same.

 

[slaanesh]

Not a bad choice either - some good Taito/Toaplan classics here.

I love Tiger Heli, Slap Fight, Flying Shark and Twin Cobra. Nice shooters.

Coincidentally, I was testing Slap Fight on the GP32 just today. It runs really nice.
Updated release of MAME4ALL for GP32 (yes, that's right, GP32) coming soon.