Activision "will not kill Brutal Legend"

Double Fine, the studio behind Psychonauts and the forthcoming Brutal Legend, is slapping Activision with a countersuit.

Activision previously filed a suit to prevent Electronic Arts from releasing the game. Now Double Fine alleges Activision is blocking the release because it wants to fender off competition for the Guitar Hero series. The lawsuit claims Activision's aim "is not only to cancel Brutal Legend, but to kill it completely".

Brutal Legend was originally a Vivendi title before the Activision Blizzard merger changed everything. According to Double Fine, Activizzard had no interest in publishing the game then and canned it. The company is now claiming it would be seriously harmed if EA put the game out.

Double Fine's not going to take it lying down, though. "Now that we've found a publisher and the game is getting sensational coverage, they want to stop its release," said studio bigwig Caroline Esmurdoc.

"Double Fine's countersuit is a demonstration of our intention to fight for this game - Activision will not kill Brutal Legend."

The PS3 and Xbox 360 game is currently scheduled for release on 16th October.