Report: Brash cofounder bolts

After making many Hollywood headlines with such hits as Batman Begins and 300, Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull entered the game fray last March. Then, in June 2007, he got plenty of ink in the game trades by raising $400 million for his all-new game publisher Brash Entertainment, which specializes in turning film and television properties into games.

Over the next year, Brash announced a series of movie and TV game adaptations, including 300, Saw, and Prison Break, as well as a deal with Lair developer Factor 5 for an unnamed tie-in. However, Brash's initial film-based games Jumper, Space Chimps, and Alvin and the Chipmunks were received even more poorly than their film inspirations. According to the NPD Group, the former has sold just over 47,000 units domestically on the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2, with the latter game selling just 1,000 units more on the Wii, PC, DS, 360, and PS2.

Brash's poor sales performance was highlighted in May when president Nicholas Longano had suddenly "moved on" and handed over his responsibilities to CEO Mitch Davis. Now it looks like Davis will have another portfolio on his hands. Variety is now reporting that Tull himself has also abruptly resigned, again reportedly due to being "disappointed with the quality of Brash's games." He will still retain an interest in Brash as a result of his "significant" investment in the company.

It remains to be seen whether or not Brash can change course with Davis in an increasingly empty executive wheelhouse. According to Variety, the publisher has several projects still in the works, including Night at the Museum 2, Where the Wild Things Are, and the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans. Meanwhile, Tull's Legendary Pictures is at work on such game-based films as Len Wiseman's Gears of War and the still-in-development big-screen edition of World of Warcraft.