Avid followers of our books will be aware that there appears to be a level of mystery around our latest visual compendium: The unofficial MD/GEN: a visual compendium. We’ve had to push back the release date a few times, and as of now, have not communicated why.
I'm afraid to say that we have been asked by SEGA to remove the listing or face potential legal action. As a small business, this is not something we can risk. After discussions, their position is non negotiable. It is of course their right to protect their IP as they see fit.
Personally I have regrets with this project, as I should have put the brakes on a while back. Instead I pressed on with the belief that it would be OK because of the various efforts made to state that the book is 'unofficial' and the skew towards third-party games. I was also buoyed by the number of SEGA fan related projects that were out there that are not challenged legally. In hindsight, this was a mistake, and I should have shelved the project.
As of today, I must admit defeat. I'm not prepared to risk everything I've worked for, and jeopardise the amazing projects we have in the works. As a small business, we cannot fight something like this legally.
I wanted to personally apologise to our fans that were looking forward to the book, and for our lack of clarity around the situation.
If we can find a way to release the PDF for free, we will.
Sam Dyer
Bitmap Books, January 2023
