[By James Pearce] Mobile gaming firm In-Fusio is suing Microsoft, claiming the software giant is deliberately thwarting its efforts to create a mobile game based on Halo. In-Fusio agreed to pay $2 million for the license to the game, but when Microsoft refused to approve its game designs the French company withheld payment of its second installment, prompting MS to end the agreement… which In-Fusio claims was its intention all along.
Whether or not that was Microsoft’s intention, I think signing a license agreement for $2 million is a big risk, even for a brand as big as Halo. It also highlights another problem with developing branded mobile games—having to take into account the sensibilities of the brand owner.