Overview
Created in 1996, SouthPeak Interactive (also known as SouthPeak Games) has developed and published titles for most systems of the last two console generations.
Acquisitions and Accusations
During the stock market crash of 2008, the primary investor in GameCock Media had to cut his losses and sell the company. He entered an exclusive negotiating deal with Terry Phillips of SouthPeak in order to prevent GameCock from drying up entirely and in less than a week on October 14, 2008 the acquisition was complete. SouthPeak's strategy in dealing with the outstanding debts of GameCock was to inform the debtors that they were going to pay half of what was owed, and if the debtor didn't like it they could sue. Further investigation revealed that this was SouthPeak's general stance towards debt and continued while they were posting record profits.
The GameCock troubles did not end there. In early 2008 a deal between CDV and GameCock had been made essentially licensing seven games from GameCock to CDV ( Dementium, Insecticide, Mushroom Men, Velvet Assassin, Hail to the Chimp, Pirates vs. Ninjas and Stronghold Crusader Extreme). However, four of those titles slipped out of 2008 while GameCock was being acquired. SouthPeak continued to publish those four titles, and CDV sued them for copyright infringement and breach of contract, winning both accounts in a German court.
Development studios working for SouthPeak have filed litigation on unpaid expenses repeatedly to mixed success. The most recent of these is Paradox Interactive who filed on March 19, 2010 claiming that SouthPeak was delinquent on over $500,000 of payment for software sales. SouthPeak has claimed that it is now insolvent and unable to make payment.
During the Midway bankruptcy proceedings in late 2009, SouthPeak acquired the license for TNA Impact in hopes to produce another title.
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