2K Games and Ubisoft have “complications” over Oblivion?

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles is coming to the PS3. But there’s a growing “complication” about who’s going to publish it – and you know how nasty game publisher squabbles can get.

What’s going on? 2K Games published Oblivion for PC and Xbox 360, so they’re handling the publication of Shivering Isles for those two platforms. Ubisoft co-published the Knights of the Nine expansion with Bethesda (the developer) in Europe, and Ubisoft is co-publishing Oblivion on PS3.

But what about Shivering Isles? Can the two publishers co-exist? Or is there a move by one publisher to nab the rights for all three platforms? According to CVG, “UK sources close to both publishers” said the situation is “slightly complicated”.

Could this affect the future of the expansion for PS3? It’s going to be impossible to get insider info when it comes to confidential negotiations over legal rights. We all just have to hope that the complicated publishing situation for Shivering Isles on PS3 will not unnecessarily delay its publication – and we certainly hope the fight over publishing rights will not kill the Oblivion-for-PS3 project completely.

Shivering Isles promises to be great, and it would be a shame to deny PS3 gamers access to the game just because publishers can’t agree on rights. Still, it seems highly unlikely that Bethesda, 2K Games, and Ubisoft will let publisher “complications” stop this lucrative game from being released.

We’re talking big bucks here, so they should find a way to share the rights (and money) so we PS3 owners can get our hands on this highly-anticipated expansion.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles is coming to the PS3. But there’s a growing “complication” about who’s going to publish it – and you know how nasty game publisher squabbles can get.

What’s going on? 2K Games published Oblivion for PC and Xbox 360, so they’re handling the publication of Shivering Isles for those two platforms. Ubisoft co-published the Knights of the Nine expansion with Bethesda (the developer) in Europe, and Ubisoft is co-publishing Oblivion on PS3.

But what about Shivering Isles? Can the two publishers co-exist? Or is there a move by one publisher to nab the rights for all three platforms? According to CVG, “UK sources close to both publishers” said the situation is “slightly complicated”.

Could this affect the future of the expansion for PS3? It’s going to be impossible to get insider info when it comes to confidential negotiations over legal rights. We all just have to hope that the complicated publishing situation for Shivering Isles on PS3 will not unnecessarily delay its publication – and we certainly hope the fight over publishing rights will not kill the Oblivion-for-PS3 project completely.

Shivering Isles promises to be great, and it would be a shame to deny PS3 gamers access to the game just because publishers can’t agree on rights. Still, it seems highly unlikely that Bethesda, 2K Games, and Ubisoft will let publisher “complications” stop this lucrative game from being released.

We’re talking big bucks here, so they should find a way to share the rights (and money) so we PS3 owners can get our hands on this highly-anticipated expansion.