project-copernicus
Latest
Rhode Island House to vote on out-of-court settlements for 38 Studios fiasco
After a successful vote yesterday from the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee, the full state House of Representatives is set to consider legislation next week that encourages out-of-court settlements in Rhode Island Commerce Corp.'s lawsuit against 38 Studios and its founder, Curt Schilling. The bill, which won unanimous support in the House Judiciary Committee and has already been passed by the Senate, is designed to protect defendants who settle in this case from lawsuits levied by co-defendants found liable for damages. Fallout from the collapse of the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning studio has left Rhode Island stiffed on a bill that totals out to roughly $90 million; The attorney for the RICC believes this bill will provide for an increase in potentially recovered funds. In related but sad news, Schilling has revealed to ESPN that he was recently diagnosed with cancer. His statement expressed hope, with Schilling saying, "My father left me with a saying that I've carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: 'Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
Jukebox Heroes: MMO holiday tunes
Last year I celebrated Christmas with y'all by sharing several holiday music tracks from MMOs, and this year I thought I'd keep the tradition alive. It's not always the easiest thing to find holiday-specific music from these games, as not every game bothers to make new tunes for time-limited events. Still, there are a few that have been sitting in my folders for a while that I'd like to share, including one very special piece of music that pretty much nobody's ever heard before. So as we wind down the year and relax with friends and family, I'm volunteering myself to be the DJ at your abode. Just put these tunes on and mix up a batch of your best egg nog because the two will be a combination that will make your relatives rave about your refined taste.
Rhode Island governor calls Project Copernicus 'a lot of junk'
Were you surprised that Project Copernicus didn't manage to sell at auction? Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee wasn't. In recent statements to the associated press, Chafee stated that the property was "a lot of junk" and decried every step of the loan process for 38 Studios. In the governor's own words: "People just panicked and gave a retired baseball player a huge amount of taxpayer money with no experience in this industry or any other businesses." Curt Schilling (the second key player in this ongoing drama, with the other being the state of Rhode Island) responded to the governor's statements on Twitter, claiming that a failure is obvious in hindsight. He also cited Chafee's current job approval numbers, suggesting that the state as a whole would like the opportunity to re-do its gubernatorial election. Richard Land, the man in charge of auctioning Project Copernicus and other 38 Studios assets, is allegedly still looking for private buyers for the IP.
Project Copernicus remains unsold at auction
Every game has its fans. Project Copernicus never launched and was never really much more than a twinkle in the eye, and yet someone out there really liked the game. Someone out there really loved Kingdoms of Amalur and was really hopeful that the 38 Studios property auction would give Project Copernicus a new home. Someone was still excited despite everything that's happened since the game was first announced. Let's call her Kate. Today's news is going to hit Kate really hard; the auction came and went, and no one was interested enough in Project Copernicus to make an "acceptable" offer. Richard Land, who handled the asset auction, has stated that he will continue to try to work privately with interested buyers regarding the assets that were not purchased, but it's not a good sign that none of the potential buyers wanted to pick up the title. Sorry, Kate. Gross proceeds from the auction came to $320,000, for the record.
38 Studios' intellectual property auction in December, Project Copernicus on the table
The tragic tale of 38 Studios' unreleased MMO, Project Copernicus, isn't over just yet. The Associated Press reports that "[a]bout two dozen parties, including some overseas" have "expressed interest" in bidding for the intellectual property of 38 Studios, which includes the unfinished game. The auction, which was set to take place on November 14th but was delayed due to unexpectedly high demand, is scheduled for December 11th. Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of auctioneer Global Heritage Partners (which is handling the sale of the studio's intellectual property), stated that the potential buyers in the auction "are from North America, Europe, and Asia" and that "[s]ome have expressed interest in buying all the intellectual property, and some are eyeing parts of it." It's unclear what his means for the future of Copernicus, or at least of Copernicus as we know it, but be sure to keep an eye out for future developments.
Complete, unreleased Rise of Nations game found among 38 Studios' goods
When 38 Studios' intellectual properties are auctioned off by the state of Rhode Island on December 11, one more game will be included in the mix, Rise of Nations: Tactics. The Mac game was completed, albeit unreleased and seemingly unheard of until now. The auction was first slated to begin this week and includes the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, 38 Studios' in-development MMO Project Copernicus and Big Huge Games' properties Catan, Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends. "Additionally, through the examination of the data contained on the 38 Studios servers, we have discovered a completed, but unreleased game for Mac users titled 'Rise of Nations: Tactics,'" Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of the auction host Heritage Global Partners said in a press release. "We only became aware of this game this past week through our own due diligence efforts." The intellectual property auction follows 38 Studios' closure in May 2012, and according to the court-appointed lawyer for the now-defunct studio Richard Land, potential bidders' interest in the auction has been "greater than expected."
38 Studios lawyer to request delay for IP auction
Richard Land, the court-appointed lawyer for 38 Studios, said he plans to ask a Rhode Island Superior Court judge to delay the now-defunct studio's intellectual property auction. The auction was originally slated to take place on November 14 and include the Project Copernicus MMO that was in development at 38 Studios prior to its May 2012 closure as well as sequel and merchandise rights and revenue for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Land told The Providence Journal that interest in the auction has been "greater than expected" from prospective bidders, leading to the request to delay the auction for "a couple weeks." The auction was also slated to include Big Huge Games properties Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends and XBLA game Catan.
Jukebox Heroes: Project Copernicus' soundtrack
Out of the many tragedies that emerged from the 38 Studios fiasco was the fact that so much artistry was ultimately abandoned, unseen, and unheard by players. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a composer who spent months working on a full MMO score only to have the studio tank and the music silenced. Well, I can't bring back 38 Studios or Project Copernicus, but today we can at least hear a little of the music that went into the game. As a helpful commenter noted in the Sound Cloud column a couple of weeks ago, Composer Gene Rozenberg of The Witcher 3 fame posted a heap of the (then upcoming) Project Copernicus score on his page. Since it's still there, although not downloadable, I wanted to highlight a few of the best tracks before this too gets erased.
Kingdoms of Amalur IP auction starts November 14, includes Rise of Nations
The 38 Studios and Big Huge Games liquidation auction will begin November 14, according to the Heritage Global Partners auction services page. Among the assets included in the auction from the state of Rhode Island are the Kingdoms of Amalur intellectual property, namely the Project Copernicus MMO that was in development at 38 Studios prior to its closure in May 2012. Additionally, buyers will be able to obtain sequel and merchandise rights and revenue for the developer's lone release, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Other assets in the auction include intellectual property rights for Big Huge Games' properties, particularly Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends and Catan in addition to the studio's Big Huge Games Engine and 38 Studios' Helios platform. The liquidation auction begins at 9:00am ET on November 14 and ends November 15 at 12:00pm ET.
Amalur IP heads to auction this month
Rhode Island is preparing to sell the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, with a website offering its assets going live this month, 38 Studios' court-appointed receiver Richard Land tells WPRI. 38 Studios collapsed in 2012 after launching Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, taking $90 million of Rhode Island taxpayer money down with it. The main piece of Amalur up for auction will be Project Copernicus, the studio's MMO-in-progress. "If someone is thinking that Rhode Island is going to sell this for millions and millions of dollars, I would have a very difficult time believing that," Joystiq News Editor Alexander Sliwinski told WPRI in a Skype interview. Land is optimistic about the sale: "The bulk of the game and intellectual property I don't believe is stale because the artwork is current, the tech used to develop the artwork is current, the concept is a current concept." Sliwinski warns that the fantastical world of Copernicus may be outdated as the industry shifts into the next generation. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the $75 million loan that Rhode Island provided to 38 Studios. Rhode Island taxpayers have already begun paying back the loan.
38 Studios loan under SEC investigation
It seems as though we can't go more than a few weeks without hearing about some new complication related to the collapse of 38 Studios and the financial catastrophe it left in its wake. This week's news comes in the form of an SEC probe into the $75 million in loan guarantees offered to the studio by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. The RIEDC has secured the services of a law firm to help it handle the SEC's investigation. Further details are sparse, as the RIEDC has offered only that it "doesn't discuss ongoing matters related to 38 Studios and maintains a level of confidentiality as requested by the SEC." Strangely, the SEC investigation, which launched in early 2012, was not mentioned to investors when Rhode Island published financial documents related to a bond transaction in April of that year. According to the treasurer's spokesperson, the state's treasury was not aware of the probe at that time. The RIEDC is currently involved in a lawsuit against studio head Curt Schilling and former RIEDC members responsible for the 38 Studios deal.
Rhode Island set to pay 38 Studios bonds. Probably.
38 Studios collapsed upon itself in a heap of flaming disaster last year, and Rhode Island taxpayers ended up stuck with the bill. The state used a $75 million loan, acquired through the sale of taxable bonds, to convince 38 to operate within its borders, and RI is now on the hook for around $89 million after the studio declared bankruptcy. Some state lawmakers in Rhode Island flirted with the idea of "walking away" from the debt, which is apparently a privilege afforded to a government and not its citizens. However, the state's House Finance Committee has approved a budget that includes, at the very least, making an interest payment of $2.5 million on the debt in May 2014. If Rhode Island is running off the plan it talked about last month, this first payment will be followed by yearly payments of $12.5 million until the debt is repaid. The budget hasn't passed; it still needs to get through the state's House and Senate. Future interest payments will also have to be approved by the state legislature.
Rhode Island explores ditching 38 Studios debt
To pay back or not to back, that is the question that Rhode Island is exploring after being saddled with $112.6 million in combined debt and interest when 38 Studios went kaput, taking Project Copernicus with it. RI governor Lincoln Chafee still believes that lenders should get their due according to his spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger, but the administration is gathering data to explore the cost of not paying back to get an understanding of "the ramifications of what that decision would be." Currently the state is planning to pay investors back over the course of 10 years, with a $2.5 million payment the first year and subsequent installments of $12.5 million thereafter.
38 Studios vs. State of Rhode Island court case begins
We'll never see Project Copernicus come to light, and for some people that's the last that needs to be said about 38 Studios. For the state of Rhode Island, however, there's quite a bit more at stake, with the state alleging that 38 Studios tried to hide its financial condition and essentially defrauded the taxpayers of Rhode Island. Opening arguments have been heard today for the case, with the 14 individual defendants seeking to have the case dismissed as completely spurious. When 38 Studios folded, that left Rhode Island in the hole for a $75 million loan. The lawsuit is seeking restitution from Curt Schilling and 13 other individuals, including former members of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp that originally supported the loan. According to the EDC's lawyers, substantial evidence exists that this loan was based upon intentional misdirection on the part of upper management, although the defense claims these allegations are ridiculous. At this point, it's up to the courts who's in the right.
Rhode Island selling 38 Studios' game assets
Do you have a few million on you and a desire to preserve some gaming history? Then pick up the phone and call Rhode Island, as the state is getting ready to sell 38 Studios' assets, including its games. The state is looking to recoup some of it $130 million debt that it fell into once 38 Studios went belly-up. One of Rhode Island's lawyers says there "is interest" in the studio's assets, including concept art, design documents, and computer software. The sale of 38 Studios' IP includes the Amalur franchise, which encompassed the Project Copernicus MMO. The state is also set to begin a lawsuit this week against former 38 Studios execs, including founder Curt Schilling. The suit claims that the executives did not inform the state when they knew that the studio would have a hard time keeping afloat financially. Schilling has asked the judge to dismiss the suit.
The Perfect Ten: MMOs that died in development hell
If you know me, you probably know that I have a weird fascination with alternate history. You know, the daydreams of historians when they're not rewriting the past to suit the latest trends. "What if?" my mind wonders, especially when it comes to MMOs. You see, for every game that actually makes it to launch, there are several that die gasping and alone in the bowels of development hell. Sure, many of these are pathetic creatures that didn't really stand a chance anyway, but there are some that could have made an impact on the industry if they had reached release and been halfway decent. We'll never know what a world would look like with these games in them, but we can always muse, "What if?" Continuing Perfect Ten's recent dark streak, here are 10 MMOs that died in development hell; it's to our eternal loss that we'll never get to play them.
Rhode Island attempting to default on 38 Studios' debt
The AP is reporting that Rhode Island is attempting to default on the debt it owes for 38 Studios' $75 million loan and subsequent bankruptcy. The state has a proposal before lawmakers that would keep it from having to make any payments to bond holders. Supporters of the move to default say that the insurance company will compensate bond holders, while the EDC, which approved the loan, says that defaulting will hurt future project and bond ratings. One lawmaker and default proponent, Rep. Charlene Lima, said that the 38 Studios fiasco harmed the reputation of the state and constricted its future economic development. The proposal is being opposed by Governor Lincoln Chafee, who wants to see the debt repaid.
38 Studios may have 'actively masked' its financial hardship
Just when you thought the world might let the wound where 38 Studios and Kingdoms of Amalur were ripped from your heart heal over, along comes some new drama. Max Wistow, the lawyer for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, filed documents on behalf of the state claiming that 38 Studios needed more than $75 million in loan guarantees before the company ever moved to Rhode Island. He argues that folks at 38 Studios knew that the funds they were receiving from the state would be insufficient. The company netted about $50 million from an EDC bond sale, and Wistow is claiming "crushing evidence" that 38 Studios actively masked its financial shortfall.
Curt Schilling asks judge to dismiss 38 Studios fraud lawsuit
Let's assume for a moment that you're Curt Schilling, formerly of the Red Sox and formerly of the now-defunct 38 Studios. You're facing a massive lawsuit for fraud regarding a $75 million loan from the state of Rhode Island. What do you do? It appears that Mr. Schilling's first approach is to ask the judge on the case to throw out the case entirely, claiming that the basis of the case is itself fraudulent. The crux of the lawsuit is the state's claim that Schilling and the 38 Studios board of directors willfully obfuscated the company's status from state lawmakers. Schilling has put forth that 38 Studios fully disclosed its status to the state investors on numerous occasion, providing them with an accurate picture of the company's financial situation. Due to this disclosure the allegations of fraud and obfuscation are simply not possible, hence the request for dismissal. Schilling goes on to claim that the entire suit is politically motivated and that the company's failure is chiefly due to Governor Lincoln Chafee not doing enough to save 38 Studios from bankruptcy.
Last week in MMO news: The best of Massively
Sometimes, you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. StarCraft Universe prologue goes live on Battle.net StarCraft Universe is a user-created multiplayer mod that fell off of the face of the Earth for awhile. However, the mod creators have just released the StarCraft Universe prologue, effectively an open beta that allows single-player users to explore its systems ahead of its multiplayer launch. Bungie's Destiny: Always-online console shooter revealed Bungie has officially lifted the veil surrounding its Destiny project, and Joystiq reports that it is a persistent-world console shooter and part of a 10-year publishing deal with Activision. Players will be able to customize their identities and gear as they venture across "a future vision of our own solar system on quests to gather loot and defeat evil." Todd McFarlane talks about Project Copernicus Spawn creator Todd McFarlane spoke with Kotaku recently and had some things to say about Project Copernicus, 38 Studios' would-have-been Kingdoms of Amalur MMO. He was the project's art director and says he really thought that it "was going to raise the bar." He remains hopeful that, in time, somebody will "be smart enough" to come in, sweep up the pieces of the unfinished MMO, and make something of it. Massively's least favorite League of Legends champions League of Legends is a big game and has a lot of characters. Not all of them are equally loved. Everyone has characters they hate, and everyone has characters they love. This week, Massively explores the champions they just can't stand. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
