Another chapter in the sad fates of independent developers begins. Roger Avery, Academy Award-winning co-screenwriter of Pulp Fiction, has sued Microsoft and Oregon-based ResponDesign for a reported $30 million plus punitive damages for "stealing his idea for a virtual yoga studio." Co-defendant ResponDesign is developer/publisher of Yourself! Fitness, an interactive personal trainer that includes a yoga mode.

What's interesting about the case is that Microsoft had nothing to do with the development of Yourself! Fitness. Yes, they approved its release for Xbox, but ResponDesign raised over $5 million in capital to develop and self-publish the game. Seems like another case of that old Hollywood staple, blind greed and selfishness.

ResponDesign sent me a press copy of Yourself! Fitness, and I'll be sharing a full review of it here soon. There are ups and downs to the product, but ironically I find the yoga mode to be the game's weakest point. More than anything, it's just disappointing to see indie originality and hard work rewarded with this kind of unwarranted legal attack.