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Warner Bros. highlights Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter IPs in Midway acquisition
After snatching up Midway and dumping some of its execs, Warner Bros. looks like it's finally starting to get somewhere with its acquisition. There's a new guy heading up what is now WB Games Chicago and, according to Develop, Warner Bros. has confirmed that Mortal Kombat and Spy Hunter are now part of its forthcoming plans.Acquiring these Midway properties gives Warner Bros. opportunities not only for new games (or re-releases of old ones), but also projects "adapted for film or TV, leveraged for consumer products, or licensed to third parties." While we wouldn't mind seeing someone take a stab at a new Mortal Kombat game, we desperately hope Warner Bros. doesn't go for a new movie. The world does not deserve any more of this.
This is still alive: This is Vegas
Wow, Warner Bros. finally acknowledged that This is Vegas still has a pulse. Speaking with G4tv.com, the publisher, which acquired the rights to the game during its acquisition of Midway, stated that the Sin City adventure had not been canceled and is still in production. Although there are no further details, Surreal Software has not been stripped of development duties.We really haven't heard anything about This is Vegas since 2008, which is when it was originally supposed to release. We're following up with Warner Bros. now to see if the publisher would like to make a new release window -- we're guessing 2009 isn't in the cards.%Gallery-15441%
Warner Bros. promotes exec following Midway acquisition
Warner Bros. executive Jeff Junge has a laundry list of valuable gaming credentials on his resume. From recently leading the acquisition of a failing Midway Games to an early investment in dark magic engine OnLive, and even spearheading the purchase of TT Games a couple of years back, Junge is no stranger to the game industry. And all that would help to explain why, late this week, Warner Bros. announced the promotion of Junge to senior VP of business management for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. The Home Entertainment Group includes, among many other things, the company's gaming division.According to the release issued by WB, Junge will continue to "drive mergers and acquisitions" for the company. We've been told on good faith that neither "mergers" nor "acquisitions" are any type of automobile. How do you plan on driving them then, Mr. Junge? Hmmm?[Via Edge]
'New THQ' hires old Midway exec to head Darksiders marketing
THQ has hired, as MCV puts it, "popular Midway exec Mark Cook" as marketing manager for UK and Europe. Cook will head the marketing campaign for Darksiders, which will cover seven months and form part of the company's new strategy to get the word out about its games earlier.The "new THQ" has been on a roll recently with hits like UFC: Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla. With a January 2010 release planned, Darksiders has plenty of time to build hype -- and believers.
Mortal Kombat team sheds Midway skin for 'WB Games Chicago'
Picked up by Warner Bros. in the auctioning off of Midway Games' assets, the development studio behind the Mortal Kombat franchise has seemingly been re-branded by its new corporate overlords. Superannuation spotted the info in the LinkedIn profile of Connie Gabelein, a human resources employee currently with Warner Bros. and formerly with Midway (and apparently never part of the management that was recently let go from the failed publisher). Ms. Gabelein lists her position as a "recruiter/HR generalist for the WB Game family of studios, which includes Monolith Productions, Surreal Software, Snowblind Studios and WB Games Chicago."Furthermore, former Midway CTO/now "head of WB Games Chicago" Michael Weilbacher's LinkedIn profile seems to corroborate our suspicions. We've contacted Warner Bros. and Midway for comment and will update this post with more information as we get it. Source 1 - SuperannuationSource 2 - LinkedIn Profile of Connie GabeleinSource 3 - LinkedIn Profile of Michael Weilbacher
Midway execs get the boot, entire Chicago dev team acquired by WB
After recently giving its San Diego and Newcastle studios the required 60 day warning that their offices are to be closed, Midway announced yesterday that its corporate headquarters in Chicago is shutting down. According to a recent US Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Midway, the closing affects all 60 employees currently working at the offices -- including CEO Matt Booty -- representing "approximately 20% of the company's global workforce." Interestingly, though Warner Bros. purchased a $33 million-sized chunk of the company last month, the report states that WB paid out more to the tune of $49 million "including the assumption of certain liabilities" -- presumably some of the debt owed to creditor. A Midway rep told the Chicago Tribune that, while the executive offices have been closed and everyone let go, all 100 employees at the company's Chicago development studio have been offered jobs by WB. Oh, right, we almost forgot -- yes, the Midway San Diego offices (and its TNA wrestling license) are still up for sale -- at least for another 45 days or so.Source 1 - KotakuSource 2 - Chicago TribuneSource 3 - US Securities and Exchange Commission [Image]
Midway Newcastle drains the moat, shuts down
Try as it might, Midway Newcastle (Wheelman, Necessary Force) has apparently closed down, thanks to Midway's corporate incompetence and a lack of interest by new overlords at Warner Bros. Develop reports that the studio received the news this morning from Midway CEO Matt Booty -- an "insolvency team" was there to close the studio as soon as possible.That leaves the fate of Midway San Diego still hanging in the balance. Hopefully the 70 or so folks from Newcastle can find jobs soon. We hear that Realtime Worlds is hiring like crazy, and perhaps the team at Ruffian could use some help on Crackdown 2?
Amid Midway / Warner Bros. transition, Midway name up in the air
Various outlets reported this morning that, based on the Twitter accounts of a few Midway employees, the company name will be dissolved in the acquisition of Midway by Warner Bros. Midway's Geoff Mogilner told us this morning that those reports are simply unfounded. "The name and the mark are owned by Warner Bros. and it is up to them to figure out the branding strategy," Mogilner said to Joystiq. In the midst of buying and selling various Midway properties, basic things like the company name can easily be swept under the rug and forgotten about while people talk about intellectual properties and trademarks.According to Mogilner, when WB officially acquired Midway in an auction last month, it not only bought various IP (Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter, etc.) but also the branding. "They [WB] bought the assets and the trademark and all the copyrights and the logo and all that ... to say the name is dead, it's silly but, ya know, it's premature -- the company Midway Games, Inc. still exists," Mogilner told us. He is, of course, speaking about the remaining studios still owned by Midway -- Midway Newcastle and San Diego among them -- who he says are still up for auction, "At this point, as long as they're open, we can still get bids. We're actively trying to figure out that situation. We were required (and it was prudent) to give notice to the people at those studios." We've contacted Warner Bros. for comment on whether or not it will continue using the Midway name on future ex-Midway products and have yet to hear back as of publishing.Update: Warner Bros. has responded to our request for comment with, well, no comment. We asked the company if it will be using the Midway name going forward on ex-Midway products, to which WB officially responded, "We [WB] are not yet commenting on Midway." That's all (for now), folks![Via Big Download] [Image]
Midway studios not acquired by WB to shut down within 60 days
It appears as though recent reports were incorrect, as Midway confirmed to Joystiq this morning that the studios not picked up by Warner Bros. in the acquisition bid have 60 days until they're out of work. From Midway Newcastle (Wheelman, Necessary Force) to Midway San Diego (TNA) and various "old sports titles" (Blitz, NBA Ballers) in between, anyone looking to pick up the remaining studios has roughly two months to do so."We had a court hearing yesterday and the end result of that is the sale was approved and the closing will occur within the next 10 days," a Midway representative told us, continuing, "Since we didn't get any bids for the San Diego assets, we actually gave the employees a required 60-day warning." According to the US Department of Labor, employees of 100 or more person companies must be warned 60 days prior to being let go due to "plant closure" (or studio closure, in this case). Midway remains positive on the San Diego studio, saying, "For now those employees are continuing to work and it's still entirely possible that a bidder could come in and acquire the San Diego assets." When asked what would happen to the TNA license if the studio did go under, Midway was unsure. Maybe THQ and its fancy new business plan can help a brotha out?
Tigon's Ian Stevens: For Hollywood, 'making video games has been the same thing as making action figures'
Running Tigon Studios is a bit of a strange job to have. Ian Stevens, the man in charge, is responsible for not just organizing development talent to make games like this year's Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, but also working with Hollywood. And, unsurprisingly, he says it's a bit of an uphill battle, telling GamesIndustry.biz, "It's really hard to take something that's native to a certain medium and just draw a line, which is what people are usually trying to do [with games based on movies.]" He equates the attention Hollywood has been giving to game versions of its films with "action figures, pictures on cereal boxes, and [themed] pajamas," saying it's just part of the "licensing and merchandising" of a property, rather than creating something unique and well-crafted from the start. Furthermore, Stevens says that the development studios who are working with nothing (think Ben 10) and making something -- anything -- out of it, are the real talent in the industry. "If you gave that team in Newcastle [Midway Newcastle] - through all that they've struggled with, technology, corporate business, all these different things - the kind of opportunity that someone like Valve has," he says, leaving us to postulate on the ending there. We'll let you guys fill that in all by yourselves.
Warner Bros. was the only one interested in Midway
It appears that Warner Bros. was the sole bidder for Midway, meaning the company's $33 million offer likely nets it the whole mortal kit and kaboodle. The LA Times reports that there's still some issues to deal with before the acquisition is finalized -- involving creditors, objections and those who had deals with Midway, including Mortal Kombat producer Lawrence Kasanoff.If the deal is finalized, WBIE will add more titles to its roster, including the next Mortal Kombat game and This is Vegas. Warner could also resurrect Joust and Spy Hunter if it wanted to. But, before all that, the company may still have another acquisition looming with Codemasters.
Mortal Kombat film producer files suit against Midway
With Midway reportedly looking to sell off its Mortal Kombat assets, one concerned party hopes to peer underneath the tent the beleaguered publisher has pitched inside the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and settle the sticky issue of intellectual property ownership. Film producer Lawrence Kasanoff and his company, Threshold Entertainment, have filed a suit in the hopes of eliciting judgment "declaring the existence and scope of its licenses, interests and intellectual property rights in Mortal Kombat-related intellectual property." In other words: "Hey, isn't that some of my stuff in this garage sale?"It is the suit's assertion that the Mortal Kombat franchise is "far more a creation of Threshold and Kasanoff than of Midway," with Threshold's film adaptations and TV shows allegedly signifying more creative input than that of Midway, which was "almost entirely limited to the videogames." That's right! Bet you didn't know that Mortal Kombat was a "videogame" before it became an award-winning film franchise!Threshold backs up its claims by pointing out the "minimal back-story and mythology" provided by the games, as well as the "flat, cookie-cutter characters" it had to use as a basis for its derivative works. Indeed, anybody who's seen "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" is sure to agree that the 78 characters in that rich, compelling film -- including the cyborg and the lizard guy -- were so much more fleshed out right until they all died or something.[Via GamePolitics]Source -- Complaint (warning: PDF)
New Necessary Force artwork is gritty-pretty
You are by now likely familiar with the story behind Necessary Force, an open-world action game being made by Midway Newcastle, which has until month's end to find a buyer or face closure. We dug a debut trailer unveiled last week, and we're equally into some concept art added to the game's official site.Could someone please step in here? We know times are tight, but we really want to play this, and Joystiq Publishing has all its liquid capital in N-Gage development (no, we don't want to talk about it).
Midway Newcastle reveals new IP: Necessary Force
It seems a certain beleaguered studio listened to our humble suggestion! Midway Newcastle, one of the splinter studios that wasn't rescued in the Warner Bros. buyout of Midway, just revealed its formerly unannounced open-world action game in an attempt to drum up buyers before the developer is forced to close down in just 13 days. The new IP is called Necessary Force -- a "gritty detective drama" about a cop who "sets his own rules." So, like Nash Bridges, only grittier.Details about the game are slim, though three months of development have resulted in a gameplay-free teaser trailer (seen above). What do you guys think? Is this the ace in the hole Midway Newcastle needed to stave off the reaper?
Two Midway studios facing possible closure in two weeks
If you've got an extra few million bucks lying around, we can think of a couple of video game development studios that could really use it. According to a recent report from Guardian.uk, Midway's Newcastle and San Diego studios are facing closure if they can't find buyers by the end of June. For those whose extended WoW sessions have left them chronologically unaware, that's just two weeks from today.The Guardian's article focuses on the Newcastle studio -- creators of the recently released Diesel-fest Wheelman -- which is trying to stave off death by finding investors for its unannounced open-world action game. We're far from financial experts, but perhaps keeping said project under wraps isn't the best way to attract suitors in such a brief timeframe. Just, you know, a suggestion.[Via CVG]
Midway mystery man Mark Thomas settles with creditors, receives $5 mil
We'll be straight with you -- the whole Midway legal debacle is far from over. We are, however, one step closer to the dissolution of Midway as it stands now, with the company's creditors and 87% shareholder Mark Thomas reaching an agreement and ending at least one lawsuit. After purchasing the stocks from former majority shareholder Sumner Redstone for the low, low price of $100k, Thomas is cashing out -- he'll be receiving "as much as $5 million ahead of other creditors, whose claims aren't backed by collateral," according to Bloomberg. The lawyer representing Midway's creditors, Linda Dakin-Grimm, told Bloomberg, "The committee is satisfied with the settlement," noting that it would allow for efforts to collect on other debts to proceed. Warner Bros. Interactive has already put in its $33 million bid for the company, whose auction will end on June 29. Though many questions remain unanswered regarding the relationship between Sumner Redstone, Midway's Board of Directors and Mark Thomas, one thing is absolutely certain: the folks still employed by Midway are not profiting from the executive shenanigans. We wish them the best and encourage any employee who would like to speak up about their time at the troubled publisher to contact us, anonymity ensured.[Via GamePolitics]
The rest of Midway is up for auction
Apparently, struggling publisher Midway has more than just Warner Bros. bidding on its remaining assets. After last week's announcement of WB's $33 million dollar offer to acquire the lion's share of Midway's properties, Midway released a statement today detailing the process and, in so many words, is allowing for larger bids. "Midway recently announced a stalking horse asset purchase agreement, which is expected to receive court approval, subject to higher or better bids, in a hearing on June 2, 2009," reads the statement. Additionally, all remaining assets owned by Midway are available for bidding as well -- including the TNA Wrestling franchise not included in the WB bid -- until the court-supervised auction takes place on June 29th.Midway's Geoff Mogilner told Joystiq this afternoon that today's release "doesn't change that agreement [with WB]" and either side will suffer financial penalties for backing out. He also noted that the acquisition has no effect on the development teams employed by Midway as "people aren't assets." Yet, Geoff. Yet. Seriously though, he told us that any bidder wishing to acquire development teams would have to engage in a "separate acquisition" and any winning bidder on Midway's assets won't take on any of the massive debt the company is currently weighed down by. He also noted that the recipient(s) of the money from this auction have yet to be decided. Standing in line for a payout are a laundry list of creditors along with mystery man Mark Thomas.
Warner Bros. bids on Midway for some reason
When we read about Midway's recent troubles, we're glad we don't own any piece of the company. However, Warner Bros. executives see the same stories and think "we need that." Midway announced today that a "stalking horse" asset purchase agreement with Warner Bros. has commenced, with Warner bidding $33 million for the majority of Midway's assets, including studios in Chicago and Seattle, as well as the Mortal Kombat franchise.According to Midway's press release, the agreement does not include rights to TNA wrestling games, nor Midway's San Diego and Newcastle studios.This isn't a sure thing yet: before the Warner agreement goes through, other "qualified buyers" will be allowed to put in bids in a "court-supervised auction process."
Creditors fight back: MIdway gets sued
Sumner Redstone, his daughter Shari (a former Midway board member, mind you) and the mysterious Mark Thomas are all being sued, among others, by the various creditors that a nearly penniless Midway owes money to. Gamasutra obtained a copy of a 29-page lawsuit, detailing the alleged financial liberties taken by Midway's board (as well as the majority stockholders -- Sumner Redstone and now Mark Thomas), which accuses specific people of "breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste and unjust enrichment." The suit claims Midway's current financial situation as one that "arises out of a series of disastrous and ill-advised financial transactions that largely occurred during 2008," further positing that Midway's board "either approved of the transactions or, upon learning of them, looked the other way -- taking no steps to investigate and unwind them." According to the report, Redstone's now famous infamous sale of Midway to Mark Thomas for only $100,000 was an effort to obtain a "massive tax refund," sacrificing Midway in the process. Finally, the suit states that Midway, as a company, has been "insolvent" since some time in late 2007 and its board of directors simply turned a blind eye, allowing the company to sink further into debt.Oh, and Frank from legal? Your wife wants you home. She knows you've been pretending to go to work for the last seven months.
Wheelman movie incoming: Vin to star, John Singleton to direct
A man like John Singleton needs no introduction, especially around the leaky decks of the Joystiq oil tanker. Every week, we usually enjoy a movie to break up the monotony of teh blawging. Almost always, that movie is Baby Boy. Now, the directorial genius of Mr. Singleton is being applied to a film version of Vin Diesel's gaming, uh ... triumph, Wheelman. And not only that, but Vin Diesel will also star, Variety reports.The film -- titled simply The Wheelman -- currently has a script and is being put into production by Paramount. The movie will focus on "an expert driver (Diesel) who comes out of retirement to protect a woman from his past." This will be a nice opportunity for Diesel and Singleton to work together, considering Singleton directed 2 Fast 2 Furious, the movie sequel that Diesel opted out of.[Via BD]
