Invincible creator Robert Kirkman is being sued by a comic book artist who says he was tricked into relinquishing his copyright.

William Crabtree claims he co-created Invincible (he was the comic book’s colorist for its first 50 issues) but was convinced by Kirkman to surrender his ownership of the title back in 2005 in order to make it easier to sell the rights to studios.

“Fraud and deceit has become a standard business practice for Kirkman and is apparently where his true creative aptitude lies,” claims attorney Devin McRae in the complaint (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Crabtree claims that he had an oral agreement with Kirkman that granted him 20 percent of single sale proceeds for Invincible, as well as 10 percent of any revenue from “other film or television commercial exploitation of the Work together with any derivative projects based on the Work and any allied or ancillary rights in the Work.”

Essentially, this means that Crabtree would have missed out on a large paycheck when Invincible was turned into an animated series.

As for why this agreement was never written down, Crabtree alleges that Kirkman convinced him to sign over his rights with a “Certificate of Authorship” while at San Diego Comic Con in 2005.

He claims that Kirkman persuaded him by stating that Invincible would be more saleable to studios if it came from a single creator.

“Kirkman falsely told Crabtree that Crabtree’s rights and financial interest in the Work would remain unchanged if he signed the Certificate of Authorship and that the document would simply allow Kirkman to market the licensure of the Work more easily, resulting in greater profits for both of them,” reads the lawsuit.

Once the document was signed, the lawsuit claims that Kirkman continued to pay Crabtree for comic sales, as well as licensing by MTV for an animated series and Paramount Pictures for a film and TV option.

But when Invincible was picked up by Amazon Studios, Crabtree claims that Kirkman refused his claims for compensation.

“When Crabtree questioned Kirkman about why Kirkman continued to pay Crabtree royalties on the Work for years after the Certificate of Authorship, Kirkman stated that those royalty payments were actually just ‘bonuses,’ that he paid at his discretion,” reads the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges fraud and breach of contract by Kirkman, as well as denying Crabtree access to profit statements in connection to the Amazon TV series. The suit ultimately seeks a judgment that Crabtree is co-creator of Invincible, as well as an account of what he’s owed and punitive damages.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Kirkman has seen legal troubles around his work.

The Walking Dead co-creator Tony Moore also sued Kirkman, claiming he “swindled” him out of profits and residuals for the comic book adaptation. Moore’s lawsuit ended with a settlement between the two parties. Additionally, Kirkman himself (and other creators) sued AMC in 2017 for breach of contract surrounding the post-apocalyptic TV series.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

As Rainbow Six Siege moves towards its seventh year, Ubisoft has announced that new creative director has been appointed.

As revealed on Ubisoft's website, the game's current creative director, Leroy Athanassoff, will be leaving Siege to work on other Ubisoft-made games projects. Siege's art director, Alexander Karpazis, will step up to fill the role. This change in staff marks the third time that the game has introduced a new creative director over its almost seven year lifespan.

In light of his departure, Athanassoff spoke briefly about his decision to leave the position. "I wanted to let you know that due to personal reasons, I will be leaving my role of Creative Director on Siege to pursue other opportunities at Ubisoft," said Athanassoff in a statement.

"This isn’t a decision I make lightly – I love this game and this community, and I’m so proud of everything our team has accomplished together over the last two years – but I’m confident that it’s the right one, and the team has given me their full support. Don’t worry, I won’t be going too far, and I have a feeling that my journey with this incredible game is far from over."

While Athanassoff's time in the position may be coming to an end, the creative director spoke highly of his replacement, Karpasiz. "Having worked with him for four years, I can attest to not only his skill and talent, but also to his passion for Siege. I’ve seen firsthand the dedication he’s brought to creating fun, engaging features that fans love. I have no doubt that he will continue to build on this amazing game and offer even more content and innovation to Siege players."

As part of the same post, Karpasiz delved into his own journey with Siege, which started when the project was back in alpha, competing as a fan in tournaments. The newly-appointed creative director has spent the last four years working at Ubisoft on Siege, and went on to thank Athanassoff for his mentorship during that time before also briefly addressing the game's community.

"[Athanassoff's] taught me what exemplary leadership, creativity, and passion look like in the position of Creative Director," says Karpazis. "Leroy’s hard work will be visible in future seasons as the team and I prepare for one of the most ambitious years in Siege’s history. I’m extremely humbled by the team’s trust in me, and I hope to earn the trust of the community in my new role as well."

Despite moving toward its seventh year since launch, the online tactical shooter remains popular with its community. While the game has seen a slight decrease in player count over recent months (as shown in data published by SteamDB), Ubisoft has continued to show support for the shooter, producing a range of new content for fans to delve into. Most recently, this came in the form of the Siege's Snow Brawl event, which brought with it a winter theme and played out a little like an international snowball fight.

To keep up with the latest from Rainbow Six Siege as it takes direction from its new leadership, make sure to check out our dedicated page for the game, which is packed with more news, trailers, and clips from the online shooter.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

As Rainbow Six Siege moves towards its seventh year, Ubisoft has announced that new creative director has been appointed.

As revealed on Ubisoft's website, the game's current creative director, Leroy Athanassoff, will be leaving Siege to work on other Ubisoft-made games projects. Siege's art director, Alexander Karpazis, will step up to fill the role. This change in staff marks the third time that the game has introduced a new creative director over its almost seven year lifespan.

In light of his departure, Athanassoff spoke briefly about his decision to leave the position. "I wanted to let you know that due to personal reasons, I will be leaving my role of Creative Director on Siege to pursue other opportunities at Ubisoft," said Athanassoff in a statement.

"This isn’t a decision I make lightly – I love this game and this community, and I’m so proud of everything our team has accomplished together over the last two years – but I’m confident that it’s the right one, and the team has given me their full support. Don’t worry, I won’t be going too far, and I have a feeling that my journey with this incredible game is far from over."

While Athanassoff's time in the position may be coming to an end, the creative director spoke highly of his replacement, Karpasiz. "Having worked with him for four years, I can attest to not only his skill and talent, but also to his passion for Siege. I’ve seen firsthand the dedication he’s brought to creating fun, engaging features that fans love. I have no doubt that he will continue to build on this amazing game and offer even more content and innovation to Siege players."

As part of the same post, Karpasiz delved into his own journey with Siege, which started when the project was back in alpha, competing as a fan in tournaments. The newly-appointed creative director has spent the last four years working at Ubisoft on Siege, and went on to thank Athanassoff for his mentorship during that time before also briefly addressing the game's community.

"[Athanassoff's] taught me what exemplary leadership, creativity, and passion look like in the position of Creative Director," says Karpazis. "Leroy’s hard work will be visible in future seasons as the team and I prepare for one of the most ambitious years in Siege’s history. I’m extremely humbled by the team’s trust in me, and I hope to earn the trust of the community in my new role as well."

Despite moving toward its seventh year since launch, the online tactical shooter remains popular with its community. While the game has seen a slight decrease in player count over recent months (as shown in data published by SteamDB), Ubisoft has continued to show support for the shooter, producing a range of new content for fans to delve into. Most recently, this came in the form of the Siege's Snow Brawl event, which brought with it a winter theme and played out a little like an international snowball fight.

To keep up with the latest from Rainbow Six Siege as it takes direction from its new leadership, make sure to check out our dedicated page for the game, which is packed with more news, trailers, and clips from the online shooter.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Two Los Angeles police officers were fired after they chose to chase a Snorlax in Pokemon GO instead of helping stop a robbery in progress at a local mall.

As reported by Vice and detailed in court documents, former LAPD officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were on foot beat patrol on April 15, 2017, when a robbery at the Macy's at Crenshaw Mall was taking place. Calls began going out to police in the vicinity to respond and some, like a unit that was at a homicide crime scene, rushed over to the mall.

Lozano and Mitchell, on the other hand, ignored the call at first and then responded with a simple, "no," when asked again. As it turns out, they "willfully failed to respond to the robbery call and attempted to conceal the fact" by saying they were somewhere other than where they actually were.

After listening to the recording in Lozano and Mitchell's police car, the LAPD also discovered they were playing Pokemon GO on the day of the robbery.

"The recording showed that, at approximately 6:09 p.m. (just five minutes after Officer Lozano said “screw it” to checking in with communications about the robbery call), Officer Mitchell alerted Lozano that 'Snorlax' 'just popped up' at '46th and Leimert,'" the court documents read. "After noting that 'Leimert doesn’t go all the way to 46th,' Lozano responded, 'Oh, you [know] what I can do? I’ll [go] down 11th and swing up on Crenshaw. I know that way I can get to it.' Mitchell suggested a different route, then told Lozano, 'We got four minutes.'

"For approximately the next 20 minutes, the DICVS captured petitioners discussing Pokémon as they drove to different locations where the virtual creatures apparently appeared on their mobile phones. On their way to the Snorlax location, Officer Mitchell alerted Officer Lozano that 'a Togetic just popped up,' noting it was '[o]n Crenshaw, just South of 50th.' After Mitchell apparently caught the Snorlax — exclaiming, 'Got ‘em'—petitioners agreed to '[g]o get the Togetic' and drove off."

After successfully catching the Togetic after Lozano "buried it and ultra-balled" it, they decided to return to a 7-Eleven to end their watch. Later, they would lie about playing the game and even said they were "merely having a conversation about Pokemon GO" and that they were "capturing [an] image" of the Pokemon on a tracking app.

They were charged with multiple counts of on-duty misconduct and fired and would later try to appeal their case by saying they weren't aware their conversations were being recorded and that their words should be considered "private." On January 7, 2022, the court denied the appeal.

While this event may have taken place in 2017, 2022 will soon see the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus - a new game in the beloved franchise that may offer yet another chance for someone to get in trouble for playing it when they really shouldn't.

For more on Snorlax, check out how this sleepy Pokemon's origins are actually inspired by a real person - the veteran Pokémon game designer Kōji Nishino.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Phil Spencer thinks Netflix is smart for leveraging its successful streaming business and jumping into video games.

In an interview with Kara Swisher for the New York Times’ Sway podcast, Spencer spoke more in-depth at video games’ continued growth and how it’s oftentimes a trendsetter for tech companies. Including how some tech companies look to games for inspiration.

Take Netflix, for example, which announced it’s making steady inroads into games first by including mobile games in with existing Netflix subscriptions, and then by acquiring critically-acclaimed studios like Nightschool. Spencer believes this is the right approach for the streaming giant.

“I think it’s smart what [Netflix is] doing,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer says. “They’re buying some studios. They’re learning about the creative process of interactive entertainment. And I think it’s a very smart way for them to move into the space.”

Netflix isn’t just about ready to compete with Xbox quite yet. Despite hiring an ex-EA executive to run its new games division, Netflix is primarily focused on the casual mobile market, which is still big business. Netflix has a library of popular shows that can easily become games and the company even bought the award-winning studio behind Oxenfree.

While the content is growing, Spencer sees Netflix has big potential thanks to its existing cloud and community. "Netflix clearly has cloud. Amazon has cloud. Google has a real cloud capability. But without content, community, and cloud, I think getting into gaming right now — and you can see this in what Netflix is doing."

Xbox has taken a page from Netflix’s book with Xbox Game Pass, which has long been popularly called the Netflix for games. Something Spencer doesn’t disagree with.

“From a streaming standpoint, it is. I’d say the difference for us is in the business model of — you can buy every game that’s available on the subscription, which is a little different than a music subscription or a movie subscription.”

Spencer says the transactions business is still Xbox’s biggest business and bigger than subscriptions, though he says subscriptions are growing faster.

The Xbox boss also took time to talk about Xbox’s social network and how it’s focused on games and not social discourse, as well as address industry topics like the metaverse and Activision’s current controversies.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Phil Spencer thinks Netflix is smart for leveraging its successful streaming business and jumping into video games.

In an interview with Kara Swisher for the New York Times’ Sway podcast, Spencer spoke more in-depth at video games’ continued growth and how it’s oftentimes a trendsetter for tech companies. Including how some tech companies look to games for inspiration.

Take Netflix, for example, which announced it’s making steady inroads into games first by including mobile games in with existing Netflix subscriptions, and then by acquiring critically-acclaimed studios like Nightschool. Spencer believes this is the right approach for the streaming giant.

“I think it’s smart what [Netflix is] doing,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer says. “They’re buying some studios. They’re learning about the creative process of interactive entertainment. And I think it’s a very smart way for them to move into the space.”

Netflix isn’t just about ready to compete with Xbox quite yet. Despite hiring an ex-EA executive to run its new games division, Netflix is primarily focused on the casual mobile market, which is still big business. Netflix has a library of popular shows that can easily become games and the company even bought the award-winning studio behind Oxenfree.

While the content is growing, Spencer sees Netflix has big potential thanks to its existing cloud and community. "Netflix clearly has cloud. Amazon has cloud. Google has a real cloud capability. But without content, community, and cloud, I think getting into gaming right now — and you can see this in what Netflix is doing."

Xbox has taken a page from Netflix’s book with Xbox Game Pass, which has long been popularly called the Netflix for games. Something Spencer doesn’t disagree with.

“From a streaming standpoint, it is. I’d say the difference for us is in the business model of — you can buy every game that’s available on the subscription, which is a little different than a music subscription or a movie subscription.”

Spencer says the transactions business is still Xbox’s biggest business and bigger than subscriptions, though he says subscriptions are growing faster.

The Xbox boss also took time to talk about Xbox’s social network and how it’s focused on games and not social discourse, as well as address industry topics like the metaverse and Activision’s current controversies.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Clyde Phillips wants Showtime to know that he's extremely available to do more Dexter. With Dexter: New Blood wrapping its run on Showtime yesterday, the showrunner conducted a media blitz with a one major message: He will happily keep the show going if Showtime will have him.

Acknowledging that the decision is "Showtime's call," Phillips told Collider he would "drop everything" to return to the show.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Dexter: New Blood's season finale!

"Well, it is really Showtime's call. And speaking of calls, if they were to call me and say, 'Look, this is a huge asset for Showtime' I think, and I underline the word think, I think Dexter is their number one asset. If they were to call me and say, 'We want to do Harrison. Are you interested?' Much like when they called me to say, 'We want to reboot Dexter, and you're the guy,' I would drop everything to do it," Phillips said.

He had a similar message on Deadline, where he called the show a "huge asset" for Showtime. "When people start bingeing this after the finale, I'm confident the numbers will continue to go up. It’s up to Showtime to make the call to me if they want more. If they ask me if I’d like to make a continuation of this, I would say yes. I have a lot of things going on but I would drop everything for this and say yes in one second."

A second season of Dexter: New Blood would seem tricky owing to the death of the titular character, which Phillips confirms is final ("I have three words for you: Dexter is dead," he said in the Deadline interview). However, Phillips has a pitch ready to go.

"Harrison is such a complicated character and he has within him the seeds of the dark passenger. He’s capable. Look at that takedown of Dexter in the end, what's in Harrison is that he has to kill this man," Phillips explained to Deadline.

"Also, Harrison brings a different perspective to the vigilantism of it all than Dexter did, which was kind of surprising to Dexter. He brings this youthful, optimistic innocence, that he and his dad are basically Batman and Robin. Think of every time we take out one of these bad guys how many lives we're saving, that this bad person is not going to kill. Dexter never thought of that. Dexter was only taking out bad guys because that was his code."

Dexter: New Blood is a continuation of the original show, which debuted in 2006 and ran until 2013. It features the return of Michael C. Hall as the eponymous serial killer, picking up 10 years after the infamous original ending.

In IGN's review of Dexter: New Blood finale, Matt Fowler praised its "excellent" conclusion, saying that it was full of "necessary, wrenching confrontations."

"This was a terrific way to cap off the series and course-correct the damage done by the previous finale," Fowler wrote.

In that respect, Dexter's do-over appears to have been a success, but Phillips doesn't seem content to let the series rest. As for whether Dexter: New Blood ultimately returns for another season, that's very much up to Showtime.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Clyde Phillips wants Showtime to know that he's extremely available to do more Dexter. With Dexter: New Blood wrapping its run on Showtime yesterday, the showrunner conducted a media blitz with a one major message: He will happily keep the show going if Showtime will have him.

Acknowledging that the decision is "Showtime's call," Phillips told Collider he would "drop everything" to return to the show.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Dexter: New Blood's season finale!

"Well, it is really Showtime's call. And speaking of calls, if they were to call me and say, 'Look, this is a huge asset for Showtime' I think, and I underline the word think, I think Dexter is their number one asset. If they were to call me and say, 'We want to do Harrison. Are you interested?' Much like when they called me to say, 'We want to reboot Dexter, and you're the guy,' I would drop everything to do it," Phillips said.

He had a similar message on Deadline, where he called the show a "huge asset" for Showtime. "When people start bingeing this after the finale, I'm confident the numbers will continue to go up. It’s up to Showtime to make the call to me if they want more. If they ask me if I’d like to make a continuation of this, I would say yes. I have a lot of things going on but I would drop everything for this and say yes in one second."

A second season of Dexter: New Blood would seem tricky owing to the death of the titular character, which Phillips confirms is final ("I have three words for you: Dexter is dead," he said in the Deadline interview). However, Phillips has a pitch ready to go.

"Harrison is such a complicated character and he has within him the seeds of the dark passenger. He’s capable. Look at that takedown of Dexter in the end, what's in Harrison is that he has to kill this man," Phillips explained to Deadline.

"Also, Harrison brings a different perspective to the vigilantism of it all than Dexter did, which was kind of surprising to Dexter. He brings this youthful, optimistic innocence, that he and his dad are basically Batman and Robin. Think of every time we take out one of these bad guys how many lives we're saving, that this bad person is not going to kill. Dexter never thought of that. Dexter was only taking out bad guys because that was his code."

Dexter: New Blood is a continuation of the original show, which debuted in 2006 and ran until 2013. It features the return of Michael C. Hall as the eponymous serial killer, picking up 10 years after the infamous original ending.

In IGN's review of Dexter: New Blood finale, Matt Fowler praised its "excellent" conclusion, saying that it was full of "necessary, wrenching confrontations."

"This was a terrific way to cap off the series and course-correct the damage done by the previous finale," Fowler wrote.

In that respect, Dexter's do-over appears to have been a success, but Phillips doesn't seem content to let the series rest. As for whether Dexter: New Blood ultimately returns for another season, that's very much up to Showtime.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Original director Gareth Evans, Michael Bay, Patrick Hughes, and Netflix are teaming up for a remake of Evan's The Raid, the cult classic Indonesian action film that skyrocketed Evans to directorial acclaim.

Deadline reports Patrick Hughes will direct the remake now set in Philadelphia, while Bay and his XYZ Films will produce. Evans will executive produce and Hughes will co-write the script with James Beaufort.

This new take on The Raid is set in Philadelphia's "Badlands" region, a notorious stretch of North and Lower Northeast Philadelphia afflicted by drug violence.

While Evans' original film followed an elite Indonesian S.W.A.T. team trapped in an apartment block by a murderous crime boss, Hughes' version will follow an undercover DEA agent working his way through cartel informants to find a drug kingpin.

“We’re incredibly excited about Patrick’s unique vision for this film. It’s a distinctly original take on the material, which promises to pay great respect to the original film while also bringing a fresh approach and perspective that will set its own course in the action genre,” the producers said.

The remake of The Raid will be Bay and Hughes' first time working together. Hughes previously directed The Expendables 3, and later on the two Hitman's Bodyguard films starring Ryan Reynolds. Bay is of course known for directing the first five Transformers live-action movies, 1996's The Rock, and 2003's Bad Boys II, among other action classic and not-so-classic films.

The original Raid film debuted in 2011 at the Toronto Film Festival, quickly becoming a cult favorite among action and martial arts movie fans. The film proved enough of a success for Evans to make The Raid 2, released in 2014.

The series sparked a renewed interest in Indonesian martial arts cinema, with a particular focus on the art of Pencak Silat, resulting in the success of other films like Headshot and Netflix's The Night Comes For Us, which stars The Raid/Mortal Kombat's Joe Taslim. The series similarly helped launch the careers of Evans and main star Iko Uwais, who also starred in The Night Comes For Us, as well as Evans' first major film, Merantau.

Longtime fans of Asian cinema are no strangers to western remakes falling short of the original, such as the Ghost in the Shell live-action movie with Scarlett Johansson. That said, Evans previously worked with Netflix to make Apostle, a horror-thriller following a man's attempt to rescue his sister from an island-dwelling religious cult. So it would seem Evans has some faith in the Netflix machine. That said, Hughes' work on The Hitman's (Wife's) Bodyguard is widely regarded as bad-to-mediocre, so only time will tell if the director is capable of more with the backing of Michael Bay and Evans.

Evans is also working with Netflix to direct a similarly crime-driven film starring Tom Hardy, though we haven't heard much about that since early 2021.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/White Boy Bobby for IGN.

Original director Gareth Evans, Michael Bay, Patrick Hughes, and Netflix are teaming up for a remake of Evan's The Raid, the cult classic Indonesian action film that skyrocketed Evans to directorial acclaim.

Deadline reports Patrick Hughes will direct the remake now set in Philadelphia, while Bay and his XYZ Films will produce. Evans will executive produce and Hughes will co-write the script with James Beaufort.

This new take on The Raid is set in Philadelphia's "Badlands" region, a notorious stretch of North and Lower Northeast Philadelphia afflicted by drug violence.

While Evans' original film followed an elite Indonesian S.W.A.T. team trapped in an apartment block by a murderous crime boss, Hughes' version will follow an undercover DEA agent working his way through cartel informants to find a drug kingpin.

“We’re incredibly excited about Patrick’s unique vision for this film. It’s a distinctly original take on the material, which promises to pay great respect to the original film while also bringing a fresh approach and perspective that will set its own course in the action genre,” the producers said.

The remake of The Raid will be Bay and Hughes' first time working together. Hughes previously directed The Expendables 3, and later on the two Hitman's Bodyguard films starring Ryan Reynolds. Bay is of course known for directing the first five Transformers live-action movies, 1996's The Rock, and 2003's Bad Boys II, among other action classic and not-so-classic films.

The original Raid film debuted in 2011 at the Toronto Film Festival, quickly becoming a cult favorite among action and martial arts movie fans. The film proved enough of a success for Evans to make The Raid 2, released in 2014.

The series sparked a renewed interest in Indonesian martial arts cinema, with a particular focus on the art of Pencak Silat, resulting in the success of other films like Headshot and Netflix's The Night Comes For Us, which stars The Raid/Mortal Kombat's Joe Taslim. The series similarly helped launch the careers of Evans and main star Iko Uwais, who also starred in The Night Comes For Us, as well as Evans' first major film, Merantau.

Longtime fans of Asian cinema are no strangers to western remakes falling short of the original, such as the Ghost in the Shell live-action movie with Scarlett Johansson. That said, Evans previously worked with Netflix to make Apostle, a horror-thriller following a man's attempt to rescue his sister from an island-dwelling religious cult. So it would seem Evans has some faith in the Netflix machine. That said, Hughes' work on The Hitman's (Wife's) Bodyguard is widely regarded as bad-to-mediocre, so only time will tell if the director is capable of more with the backing of Michael Bay and Evans.

Evans is also working with Netflix to direct a similarly crime-driven film starring Tom Hardy, though we haven't heard much about that since early 2021.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/White Boy Bobby for IGN.