With great disappointment we are to report that Strategy First Inc by it's actions made irreparable strike to both i-Deal Games financial performance and reputation in the face of end-users.
SF fulfilled none of it's obligation of contract and paid no single cent to i-Deal Games for the product which sales are counted in several hundred thousands USD. We are to state that we break with this company and the only thing we are regret of is that we spring this news for more than tree month in hope for decency of SF, but get nothing than another troubles in response.
Under the terms of the terminated agreement between Strategy First Inc and i-Deal Games Studio. In case of it's termination due SF breach all rights to the products are moved to i-Deal Games and SF have no right to prevent i-Deal Games to distribute product itself or through the third party. On the basis of this thesis i-Deal Games is to state - we are searching for the distributors to republish upgraded version of our product world-wide.
The history of this product is very strange and unlucky. The first contact between i-Deal Games and Strategy First European office on Wildfire distribution had place in April of 2003. We supplied demo version of product to Strategy First Inc for preliminary evaluation and few weeks later positive conclusion from SF Canadian office has arrived. The sides come to co-ordination of software distribution agreement and game was set in line for QA.
But at the end of June 2003 SF came to the first financial problems and started reorganisation, which pushed them to get rid of their test division and game was moved to another department, which started re-evaluation and gave negative conclusion due insufficient knowledge of subject. We was to repeat all the approval process to save agreement. Fortunately this unpleasant occurrence was solved, agreement was signed and product was returned to stand in line for QA and... it stuck in the stand for next half of year. Due it's reorganisation SF was unable to fulfil QA itself and all it's attempts to find the testing company, which suit their requirements were unsuccessful.
Finally at the end of 2003 they got the acceptable variant - the contract for QA with Games Factory Ltd was signed. Next two month passed in co-operation with test team, but in middle of February when QA were in starting phase yet, SF unexpectedly notified us that it decided to release product. It was simple stated - "product will release within one month". No our objections were taken into account and game was send to replication without passing our approval and reach the shelves on 8th of March 2004.
We were to our own expenses to organise end user support service for quick fixing the bugs of wet release, which in addition was formed with many mistakes and as turned out later, SF sent wrong release masters to several subcontracted distributors. This misinformation turned to many cases of under comprehension between i-Deal Games and end users. We were unable to define if exact user got game by legal way or not.
To the May of 2004 there were several quickfixes made by us available for end user trough our Internet services and work under general patch was started. But in the end of May we do not received first payment of Royalties, as it was signed in Royalty payment Schedule. The question addressed to Canadian office of Strategy First remain unanswered for two weeks. After this period i-Deal Games send a Note to SF and turned down all end user support online services. And one week later on the 8th of June official notification of termination due SF breach was sent to Strategy First.
Two weeks later European division of SF gets in contact with us and starts negotiations. At the end of June Royalties Report was received, but there were no payments still. Since this date we had no any response from SF Canadian office at all. On the 26th of July contract was formally terminated, but we continued negotiations with European Office of SF trying to cure this case. There were several ways of debt compensation offered. For the next two month sides tried to came to agreement, but due inflexibility of Canadian top management no solution was found.
Due upmentioned facts together with fact of SF insolvency i-Deal Games did not see any future in further cooperation with SF.