I had thought that the long and twisted tale of Activision's suspicious purchasing of original Scratch: The Ultimate DJ developers 7 Studios was over. The judge handed down a ruling, the contestants went their separate ways, and both rival DJ games continued development.

So it's finished, right? No! Another interesting little tidbit has surfaced that may sway how you view the whole fiasco, as reports filter in that almost half the 7 Studios staff have lost their jobs.

Why is this interesting? You may need to refresh yourself with the entire saga, available here, here, here and also here, but the short version is this: Activision, publishers of DJ Hero purchased developers 7 Studios, who were contracted to develop Scratch: The Ultimate DJ for Genius products.

Genius Products promptly took Activision to court, claiming the latter had purchased the developer to derail a rival to DJ Hero. Both companies claimed to have won the resulting legal battle, with the Scratch assets handed back to Genius Products.

Activision's side of the story is that they were not found to have done anything wrong, which may well be the case if their 7 Studios purchase was an entirely innocent business expansion - but doesn't the subsequent laying off of thirty employees, half the studio's staff, look just a little dodgy?

Meanwhile, DJ Hero's enormous set list was revealed yesterday, and the game releases at the end of October, while Scratch: The Ultimate DJ is set to follow in the first quarter of next year, with its musical assets only partially revealed.

Via GamesIndustry.biz