Leslie Benzies | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:30:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Leslie Benzies | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Court weighs in on former Rockstar employee’s $150m lawsuit over unpaid GTA royalties https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/court-weighs-in-on-former-rockstar-employees-150m-lawsuit-over-unpaid-gta-royalties/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/court-weighs-in-on-former-rockstar-employees-150m-lawsuit-over-unpaid-gta-royalties/#respond Mon, 09 Apr 2018 12:37:35 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369663 Lindsey Lohan's lawsuit against Rockstar and Take-Two was recently settled and now courts are turning their attention towards other cases against the company. In 2016, former Rockstar North head, Leslie Benzies, launched a $150 million lawsuit against his former employer over ‘unpaid royalties'. Today, an update came in on that front, with the New York …

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Lindsey Lohan's lawsuit against Rockstar and Take-Two was recently settled and now courts are turning their attention towards other cases against the company. In 2016, former Rockstar North head, Leslie Benzies, launched a $150 million lawsuit against his former employer over ‘unpaid royalties'. Today, an update came in on that front, with the New York Supreme Court ruling that the agreement he signed doesn't entitle him to the amount he believes.

Leslie Benzies first left Rockstar North in September 2014 to go on a sabbatical. He tried to return to work in April 2015 but was denied access to the building. In January 2016, Take-Two and Rockstar confirmed that he was no longer employed at the company. This all led to the lawsuit being filed in April 2016, with Benzies claiming he signed a profit sharing agreement for GTA V, which entitled him to $150 million in royalties.

Now this week, the New York Supreme Court has stated that the profit sharing agreement he signed “contains no language mandating equal payments” and added that the terms of the contract were “unambiguous”. This was in response to Benzies' claim that Rockstar co-founders Sam and Dan Houser were being given a larger profit share.

Benzies still has a case against Rockstar, as it seems that the court agrees that he is “entitled to receive certain royalties”, but it is unlikely that he'll end up with the full $150 million he was originally after. That said, whatever amount he does end up with will likely be substantial, after all, GTA V is the highest earning entertainment property of all time, bringing in more than $6 billion so far.

KitGuru Says: Clearly something went down behind the scenes between Rockstar North management and Benzies. The case isn't over yet, so it will be interesting to see where it goes from here, particularly given how much money is on the table following the success of GTA V.

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Ex-Rockstar North president launches new game, VR firms https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/jon-martindale/ex-rockstar-north-president-launches-new-game-vr-firms/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/jon-martindale/ex-rockstar-north-president-launches-new-game-vr-firms/#respond Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:46:02 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=318372 Leslie Benzies, the man who acted as a key producer and game designer on Grand Theft Auto III through V, has launched a number of new companies, one of which is aimed at creating virtual reality hardware and software, while the other is for making games. There's even a newly filed trademark for a game …

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Leslie Benzies, the man who acted as a key producer and game designer on Grand Theft Auto III through V, has launched a number of new companies, one of which is aimed at creating virtual reality hardware and software, while the other is for making games. There's even a newly filed trademark for a game title: Time for a new World.

Benzies might have a long and storied relationship with Rockstar, but it hasn't been all positive. Although a key employee at what would become Rockstar North and a major influencer on the 3D world direction that the GTA franchise was taken in the early '00s, today he is part of ongoing legal action with Rockstar over royalty payments. While that plays out though, he's looking to make some new games.

gta3

Benzies was a key producer on GTA III and ensuing GTA games and DLCs

The first of the five new firms that Benzies has incorporated is Royal Circus Games Limited, which plans to develop games for PCs, mobile and consoles according to the Scotsman. That's the one that owns the trademark for Time for a New World, which we're told also has the associated hashtag “#TFANW.”

Benzies also recently launched VR-Chictect Limited, which is aimed at developing virtual reality headsets and companion software. It and the other incorporated companies were all headquartered in Edinburgh, in a move that is expected to offer a real financial boost to the city.

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KitGuru Says: It could be interesting to see what sort of virtual reality games Benzies can come up with, though the ultimate quality of the games will no doubt hinge on who he hires to help work on them.

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