0 A.D. Fantasy Mod (Was: "Just wonder.....")

[Jeru]

Dear 0 A.D. and TLA communities,

Recently we have learned that legal action has been taken against modders who have developed a Tolkien-themed mod, which is unrelated to TLA.

We believe the development of TLA was entirely lawful. All works created in TLA development, such as concept art, scholarly essays, and game design documents, are completely original. (The use of Tolkien's works in TLA is restricted to quoting short passages for discussion and review.) These works constitute artistic and scholarly interpretations of Tolkien's literature, and this form of adapting ideas is fully protected by the law.

Nevertheless, we would like to clarify that:

(1) We (Wildfire Games) are not developing Tolkien-theme mods now,

(2) We haven't been developing Tolkien-theme mods for several years, and

(3) We have decided to discontinue the development of TLA.

The TLA website has been updated accordingly. Original content created during the design of TLA will be preserved as a cultural asset for Tolkien devotees, and as insipiration for those interested in fantasy mods and games.

Furthermore, the TLA forums will now be closed to the public. This thread is being moved to its parent forum, "Game Modification".

Participants are invited to use this thread to discuss development of a separate fantasy mod of 0 A.D., unrelated to TLA and the works of J.R.R Tolkien.

We realize this announcement may be distressing for some TLA fans, but we hope you understand we would rather err on the side of prudence than risk legal action against Wildfire Games.

We thank you for your understanding and welcome your questions and comments.

Sincerely,

Aviv Sharon ("Jeru"), on behalf of Wildfire Games