Atari isn't having the best time with its upcoming VCS mini-console. Back in October, Rob Wyatt, one of the console's chief architects, quit the project citing unpaid invoices. Now, Wyatt is suing Atari, claiming the company failed to cough up payment for work undertaken on the VCS.
You can check out the lawsuit's documents over on Justia. Essentially, Wyatt's company Tin Giant is suing Atari for defamation and breach of contract. According to Wyatt and Tin Giant, the retro gaming company owes them in excess of $261,720. The amount represents work Wyatt did on the VCS for which he hasn't been compensated. The suit says Wyatt and Tin Giant were contracted to work on the VCS in June 2018, but that the invoice Wyatt submitted for that work still hadn't been paid by October 2019.
According to the lawsuit, Atari also misattributed a VCS delay to Tin Giant, which explains the defamation part of the suit. Wyatt says that Atari made false statements to the public about Tin Giant and its ability to complete the project. "In fact," says the lawsuit, "it was Atari's own mismanagement of the console project" that caused the VCS' delay, not Tin Giant.
Atari CEO Fred Chesnais has declined to comment on the lawsuit, stating (according to VentureBeat) that he hasn't yet received it. This doubtless won't be something Chesnais' company wants in the run-up to what is already a very difficult launch for its VCS console. The VCS was originally funded via Indiegogo, but Atari has yet to ship the console to anybody who funded it via the platform or pre-ordered it. Back in March, we learned that the ongoing coronavirus crisis was delaying the VCS even further. We'll have to wait and see what this lawsuit does to the VCS' chances, but it's not looking good for the console right now.
How do you feel about the ongoing VCS situation? Let us know in the comments below!
