CALL TO ARMS: Email Activision!!!!!

[oberonqa]

CALL TO ARMS!

The battle-cry has been heard.  We have the ability to exact change and get Activisions attention!  We have our online petition, which is now 1,300 signatures strong and still growing!  We have our offline petition which is now 30 letters strong and still growing!  We have a Facebook Group that is over 350 members strong and still growing!

We can still do more!

We need to hammer Activision... make TSL the topic of discussion at their office.  We need to make them see that we are not just going to lay down and surrender just because they are Big and Powerful!

CALL TO ARMS!

It's time to make Activision feel some of the heat we can bring down on them.  We can do that by emailing them the following email letter:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Your Name Here]
[Your Email Address Here]

To:
Activision Corporate Communications
corpcommunications@activision.com

On the website www.tsl-game.com, I just read about Activision having issued a cease-and-desist order to the creators of an eight year old fan project, the adventure game "King's Quest: The Silver Lining".  I am emailing you because this is something you should be greatly rethink.

I wholly support your right to copy protection and would understand you not wanting to allow fan-made games of some of the more popular games you're currently producing; Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, even less recent works such as Lost Kingdoms. However, King's Quest hasn't been in the works in over 11 years.

The makers of TSL have been working very hard for a decade to bring fans something they can enjoy. It's in your best interest to allow such an undertaking to continue on multiple fronts.

1.) Allowing the release of such a well-made and serious King's Quest game for free, no cost to you, would allow life to be breathed back into the series. So, if you ever decided to make another, more official, game in the series, King's Quest IX, it would be far more likely to gain popularity.

2.) TSL has gained massive support over the years and, even people such as myself, whom have great respect for Activision and all related games, would lose respect knowing that you would crush a decade of hard work and ever growing hopes of fans

The world is about love and creativity, and that is what the Silver Lining project brings.  Before issuing a cease-and-desist order against an eight-year fan project, you should try to understand the love and creativity people put into The Silver Lining.  In the end, allowing a game like this to be made would not be detrimental to your company, it would make your fans as well as the TSL's fans happy and would gain your company respect.

Activision, the world is begging you!  Retract the cease-and-desist order and show the world that Activision stands behind the morals and ideals it was originally founded on.


[Your Name Here]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

We can exact change, ladies and gentlemen.  We can make Activision feel the heat of our movement. and the time to make them start feeling that heat is NOW.  

Copy this letter and email it to corpcommunications@activision.com

Flood their inbox with this letter...

-David Reese
oberonqa@gmail.com

NOTE:  Special thanks to Waltzdancing for locating the email address of Activision Corporate and Christoph Weiss for providing the letter.

EDIT:  I am the voice of the community, and as such, if the community wishes to be tactful and diplomatic, then that is what I will be.  I have changed the letter to the more diplomatic and tactful letter provided by Waltzdancing.  Thank you Waltz.

[Erpy]

To be honest...I liked the written letter template better. (even though that one brings up AGDI and this one doesn't) It focusses more on fan disappointment without becoming accusatory. Seeing that you're asking them for a favor, terms like "evil" and "your ip" between quotes seems to discourage the detached corporate rep from reading on.

[oberonqa]

It's not asking.  It's demanding.  There's a difference and it is a big difference.  The letter is also designed to be flooded into the email box.  One or two letters can be disregarded... but hundreds of letters all bearing different subject headers (you'll note I intentionally did not specify what subject to title the email) and that will force whatever corporate drone that is responsible for checking that email box to read each and every email.

The letter is designed to be demanding.  What more can Activision do aside from shutting down the game with their C&D?  The damage is done and this letter is meant to show the power of anger.  It's meant to leverage that anger with the suggestion that more is to come.

Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and as much as I would love to go to Activision with my hat in my hand begging for an audience with the great Bobby Kotick... I feel this letter is more direct. 

And it's just the beginning.  Wait until you hear what I have planned to say during the podcast....

[Oldbushie]

I agree that this one is a little too harsh... no matter what kind of communication it is, it should be dignified and rational. Otherwise *we* risk being perceived as the "enemy".

[atec123]

I think this is a good idea, but it still may be a bit harsh.  I know that is kind of the point....  But maybe don't use terms like "Evil" or whatever.

Hrmmm.... it has to be enough for them to listen, they have to  respect it, but still.....

I dunno.

I agree that this one is a little too harsh... no matter what kind of communication it is, it should be dignified and rational. Otherwise *we* risk being perceived as the "enemy".

That is what I was thinking.

Still, we should do this.  Maybe just re write it or something.

[waltzdancing]

Okay, how about something like this, I have used Christoph letter template but tried to tone down the words like *evil* to somthing more professional.

Dear Sirs and Madams,

On the website www.tsl-game.com, I just read about Activision having issued a cease-and-desist order to the creators of an eight year old fan project, the adventure game "King's Quest: The Silver Lining".  I am emailing you because this is something you should be greatly rethink.

In 2010, corporations don't get away easily with unpopular actions like this one.  People will do everything in their power to inform the world about and injustice done.  They will blog, they will tweet, and they will talk about this on the radio and on television.  They will start petitions and they will create networks and LET PEOPLE KNOW.  If you think you can weather this storm, you are sadly mistaken.  Even as you read this, the fans of The Silver Lining have a movement organized against your company at http://savetsl.co.cc/ which gains support every day and there is no telling how long you have left before the media gets wind of this movement and starts running stories about it alongside the stories about Infinity Ward.

The world is about love and creativity, not about money.  Before issuing a cease-and-desist order against an eight-year fan project, you should try to understand the love and creativity people put into "your IP".  You may be the largest game corporation in the world, but you are nothing without the fans who play your games.

Activision, the world is begging you!  Retract the cease-and-desist and show the world that Activision stands behind the morals and ideals it was originally founded on.


[Your Name Here]

[dark-daventry]

I have to admit, I find the letter to be a bit too harsh. the revised one is better, but still not perfect. I would try to keep the letters professional, to a degree.

May I also suggest that at the end of every e-mail, there be a personal story from a fan about their experiences with KQ? Just to give each e-mail a taste of individuality.

[crayauchtin]

I was gonna say.... the tone of the first one here sounds a lot more like my rough draft of a letter which you said "bordered on hate mail", as I recall... if I can't be mean, neither can you!

Waltzing's letter is a lot calmer, which is good. However, I think we should fix it to say "something you should be greatly reconsidering".... it's a tiny, almost invisible grammatical error, but I think it would make a better impression. Also, it should be "an injustice done" not "and injustice done" -- although that wording might be too harsh as well. Overall nice job though!

(And, yes, Erpy, I know that my letter mentioned AGDI however it couldn't be helped in order to point out the financial gains Activision stands to make. I would bet that, since the games are out, Activision won't do anything anyways -- if there's anyway to ask for something to be leaked and not be able to do anything about it, that's it. If they shut you down any one of the how-ever-many people downloaded it could leak. I know I would. )

[waltzdancing]

Okay, I have just gotten a letter from Colby James Garner and he wrote something on top of the form letter we are providing. I have tied the opening statment from his letter to the one from Christoph and this is what I have.

Dear Sirs and Madams,

On the website www.tsl-game.com, I just read about Activision having issued a cease-and-desist order to the creators of an eight year old fan project, the adventure game "King's Quest: The Silver Lining".  I am emailing you because this is something you should be greatly rethink.

I wholly support your right to copy protection and would understand you not wanting to allow fan-made games of some of the more popular games you're currently producing; Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, even less recent works such as Lost Kingdoms. However, King's Quest hasn't been in the works in over 11 years.

The makers of TSL have been working very hard for a decade to bring fans something they can enjoy. It's in your best interest to allow such an undertaking to continue on multiple fronts.
1.) Allowing the release of such a well-made and serious King's Quest game for free, no cost to you, would allow life to be breathed back into the series. So, if you ever decided to make another, more official, game in the series, King's Quest IX, it would be far more likely to gain popularity.
2.) TSL has gained massive support over the years and, even people such as myself, whom have great respect for Activision and all related games, would lose respect knowing that you would crush a decade of hard work and ever growing hopes of fans

The world is about love and creativity, and that is what the Silver Lining project brings.  Before issuing a cease-and-desist order against an eight-year fan project, you should try to understand the love and creativity people put into "your IP".  In the end, allowing a game like this to be made would not be detrimental to your company, it would make your fans as well as the TSL's fans happy and would gain your company respect.

Activision, the world is begging you!  Retract the cease-and-desist order and show the world that Activision stands behind the morals and ideals it was originally founded on.


[Your Name Here]

[pj2elliot]

"Dear Sirs and Madams" is wrong, please, please, please don't use it.  I looked it up and in addition to sounding weird (think about it), and these are some better ways:

1. Dear Sir/Ma'am;
2. To whom this may concern;
3. Dear (company name);
4. Dear (presidents/v.presidents name of organization);
5. Dear (Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss {specific name if known directly});

[Japster83]

You can be firm in the letter but I agree that some of those were abrasive in nature. I will email them in my own words, thanks for getting the email address!

[waltzdancing]

Feel Free to email them on your own guys, this letter we are working on. (We are still working it.) Is just if you don't know what to say or if you just want to put your name to somehting. I will be emailing them everyday so at one point I know I will use the template.

[oberonqa]

I have changed the letter to Waltzdancing's more diplomatic and tactful letter.  As I am the voice of the community movement here, it falls to me to respect the wishes of the community and if the community says "be tactful and diplomatic", then that is what I will be. 

We are the movement and we must be united. 

[Erpy]

I think that last letter is very well written. Tactful and polite. The only thing I'd change is the quotes around "your IP". Since you're dealing with a matter that concerns copyright, those quotes could be interpreted as sarcastic. You may personally feel that IP does not belong with Activision, but the people reading that don't need to know that.

[oberonqa]

I think that last letter is very well written. Tactful and polite. The only thing I'd change is the quotes around "your IP". Since you're dealing with a matter that concerns copyright, those quotes could be interpreted as sarcastic. You may personally feel that IP does not belong with Activision, but the people reading that don't need to know that.

Replaced "your IP" with The Silver Lining.

[Haids1987]

Okay, I'm a bit confused now.  Are we using the letter in the first post?

[oberonqa]

Okay, I'm a bit confused now.  Are we using the letter in the first post?

Yes, the original first post letter has been replaced with the more tactful and diplomatic letter.

[Haids1987]

Cool, thanks. I'm on it as we speak...

(Posted on: March 05, 2010, 05:02:23 PM)

One more question--what is the subject on this email? 

[oberonqa]

Use whatever subject line you think is appropriate.  Using different subject lines makes it more difficult for the receiver to sort through identical emails and therefore must read each one.

[Haids1987]

Oh, well I just named mine "SAVE THE SILVER LINING!"