The original creator of the James Pond IP has openly shared some extreme criticism of the game studio that’s currently working on its next entry. James Pond, which originally arrived in the US on the Sega Genesis, is getting a new title for the first time in over a decade, but it seems the person behind the original is far from pleased with it.

Although it’s been the property of Gameware Europe for two decades, the original IP creator, Chris Sorrell, is far from pleased with the company. Gameware is currently working on James Pond and the Rogue AI, and in a conversation with Time Extension, Sorrell was quick to share his anger and frustration. He explained that he hates “almost everything they [Gameware Europe] do with a passion, all the more since they duped me into being part of their shambolic Kickstarter campaign… I stupidly allowed my name to become associated with their bottom-feeding enterprise.”

James Pond

Sorrell points out that it seems like AI may have been used to generate “art” of the character, as he notes that the social media channels for Gameware shared artwork for the game that “looked utterly different,” with varying appearances in each, and not enough of a resemblance to the original character. It’s clear that the situation has frustrated the creator, who now finds himself without control over the direction of the franchise, following its sale to Gameware.