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Midway VFX lead footage shines the light on planned Stranglehold sequel
Before Midway went under in 2009, the studio had already started to pursue a sequel to Stranglehold, itself a sequel to John Woo's 1992 seminal action flick, Hard Boiled. Stranglehold starred Chow Yun-fat, reprising his role as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen who dove around Hong Kong and shot bad guys in slow motion. That's how they police over there, you guys.It turns out Midway had big plans for a sequel to Stranglehold, what VFX lead Sean Lantis says was being "fully rebranded" to appeal to a wider audience than the first game. Lantis says he was in charge of "all visual effects as well as a good portion of the destruction work." What was to be called Gun Runner never made it to production and was still in the early stages when Midway filed for Chapter 11 in 2009, evidenced by the footage in the video above.
Warner Bros. appoints Turbine's new boss
Ever since hearing the news of Turbine's acquisition by Warner Bros. last month, players have been anxiously awaiting a sign of how this might affect Asheron's Call, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. While answers are still in short supply, now we know who Turbine answers to: Jeff Junge. Junge was named Senior Vice President of Online Games and Digital Games Platforms by Warner Bros., a new position for the company. He was a key player in the purchase of Turbine, and will now be Turbine's direct boss. Junge has had a lot of influence within Warner Bros. as they moved into the games industry -- he convinced them to invest in OnLive, and led the initiative to purchase other game studios, such as Rocksteady Games and Midway Games. As one of the largest independent MMO studios is folded into the WB umbrella, we will continue to keep a close eye on the direction Junge and WB will take Turbine in the future. You can read the full press release here.
SouthPeak earnings report reveals acquisition of ... something involving TNA Impact
Remember way back in August when THQ picked up around 40 percent of Midway San Diego (following that whole full collapse thing), but left off the TNA Impact property? It would appear that the reason for this exclusion was due to SouthPeak Games snatching up the license, as revealed by a recent Q1 2010 financial report released by the company.The "acquisition" is first noted in the report's "Highlights of the Quarter" section. "Acquired in bankruptcy certain assets owned by Midway relating to video games based on the TNA iMPACT wrestling brand." We asked SouthPeak who would be in charge of developing the next game in that series, said in the report to be released "this year" (2010), and found out that such information has yet to be announced, unfortunately. Currently, SouthPeak is only known to be publishing TNA Impact: Cross the Line for the PSP and Nintendo DS.When we explored the SEC filing from Midway on the sale, the wording got much more ambiguous. One notable exclusion from the $100k purchase is, "the TNA License and Sellers' rights thereunder." When we asked SouthPeak to clear up exactly what the company bought, we were told that, while it "can confirm the details of the release and filing," no comment is currently available – though we were assured that we'll be hearing more details "soon."
Midway execs found not guilty in conspiracy suit
You know how this works: You're a shareholder in a major company -- let's say a major video game publisher like ... Midway Games -- and while the suits assure you that, despite lagging sales and a lousy portfolio, everything's going to be "OK!" Things started looking dodgy when CEO David Zucker abandoned ship in March of 2008. "Everything okay in there?" you ask. "Yup, everything's fine," Midway responded, while installing Matt Booty into the position. Then chairwoman Shari Redstone, daughter of owner Sumner Redstone, resigned in November 2008. "Alright, this sounds really bad!" you cried. "Seriously, don't worry. It's fine," Midway responded (they'd put Booty in that position in January of the following year). And then, in December, Sumner Redstone sold his shares in the now clearly troubled publisher for the bargain basement price of $100,000 to mysterious investor Mark Thomas ... and then, the layoffs began. So now you, and the rest of the shareholders in NYSE: MWY want to hold the executives who kept you in the dark accountable. According to Develop, after months of hearing allegations, District Court judge David H. Coar found five Midway executives – including former CEO David Zucker and CFO Thomas Powell – "innocent of conspiracy to deceive the public about the health of the fallen company." The reason? The shareholders had not "adequately alleged the direct liability" of the execs. Okay, so it wasn't a "conspiracy" (or whatever other fancy law school words the "law" requires) but we understand your pain. Now, have we told you about the opportunities at Joystiq Publishing ...
Midway Europe buyout complete, renamed Tradewest Games
GamesIndustry.biz reports that the acquisition of Midway's English and French offices, by Martin Spiess, and the German office, by Uwe Fürstenberg and Hans Meyer, for a single Euro combined has been finalized. On the way more exciting side of this news, however, is the announcement that the UK and France offices will be re-branded as Tradewest Games, resurrecting the name from its rather dusty tomb. According to Spiess, Tradewest will become "a European full service provider in the fields of game distribution and publishing," a transition made possible by "a well-experienced European team behind [TG] that has proven its expertise and know-how in the past years by bringing to market some of the biggest games projects in the world." Interesting that you note that, Mr. Spiess, as none of the games released in "the past years" have been Battletoads. What of that, then? We've contacted Tradewest to find out exactly what this will mean for those classic IPs, among other things, and will update this post if we hear more.
Warner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins
According to recently filed trademarks, the transfer of Midway's various game licenses to Warner Bros. Interactive has begun. Supererogatory spotted the first group of games that have been approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office -- including Robotron 2084, Defender, Joust and Wheelman, among others -- and asserted that the rest have yet to go through. With the possible re-branding of the ex-Midway Mortal Kombat team to WB Games Chicago and dissolution of Midway's executive ranks a few weeks ago, it appears as though the dismantling of Midway Games as it once was is nearly complete. We'll always have NBA Jam, right Midway?
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
Dear former Midway employee asking about unpaid wages, here's your answer:
Let's start off by assuring you that if you're a current or ex-employee of a company sending us information: A) We won't reveal your name if you ask to stay anonymous; and B) You really should leave a working return email address. As to the matter at hand, we have received a request for legal advice from an alleged former employee of Midway, who writes:"Those impacted by the recent lay off seem to have lost their PTO (earned vacation days). Class action law suit may be pending. Getting 2 months paid leave of absence was really nice, but that was required by law (the Mitchell Act) requiring 60 days notice for mass layoffs. After receiving a letter in the final week stating that the accrued PTO was NOT to be received in the final check, but in the following pay period, Midway declared Chapter 11 and evidently sent a subsequent letter stating that the PTO would not be paid at all. Evidently this is pretty common with bankruptcy. Is there a class-action lawsuit that people can join or should we all just file a claim in small claims court?"Lucky for you, we've got a talented lawyer (and LGJ columnist) on staff, Mark Methenitis. Read Mark's response after the break.
Midway bleeds another $34.8 million in Q2
It's not getting any prettier at Midway Games, as the publisher has announced it lost $34.8 million this quarter -- over double its losses the same quarter last year. This also follows Q1 losses of $34 million for the company, bringing this red-soaked mess of a year to almost $69 million in losses.Matt Booty, Midway's interim president and CEO, believes that Midway's lineup later this year, consisting of Blitz: The League II and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, will "expand the audience beyond their core fan bases." We know it's sweet to try and make quotes from the Nintendo playbook, but we just don't have the heart to tell him that Midway isn't Nintendo. The financial rivers will continue to flow red as Midway expects another multi-million loss during Q3.
Hour of Victory demo coming next week
Hour of Victory, Midway's next entry into the often neglected WWII genre, will be receiving a demo next week on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo will arrive next Wednesday, giving eager gamers a chance to try the game before it assaults retail on June 22. While it's true that the WWII genre is somewhat saturated at this point, Hour of Victory attempts to stand out from the rest of the crowd by offering a character switching gimmick. There are three characters in the game, boasting different specialties and presumably different personalities (sort of like a hairier, sweatier Charlie's Angels). There is the stealthy spy type capable of stealth kills and other forms of sneakery, the out-and-out soldier eager for a brawl, and the sniper, who, um, snipes things. To get an idea what you'll be in for when the demo drops, check out a trailer for Hour of Victory after the break.
Happy Friday! Area 51 demo on Marketplace
There are few things better than an unexpected Friday demo. We were delighted to see a demo for BlackSite: Area 51 sitting quietly on Marketplace this morning. After a few minutes we had the demo downloaded and took it for a spin. Upon firing up the demo, you will be quickly greeted by some impressive Unreal Engine 3 visuals. The character models are top notch, and the lighting effects (particularly the wet, reflective surfaces) look fantastic. Not only does it look great, but most of the environment is destructible. The gameplay is sort of a streamlined version of Rainbow Six Vegas, with one button squad commands (you start with two team members) and tactical firefights. You won't be issuing any complicated commands, it's all basic things like "go there" or "open that door," so it's not overwhelming. The demo is very short, you basically make your way through three firefights and that's it. The closing screens of the demo promise more tactical gameplay, lots of vehicles, levels based in US cities, and a robust multiplayer component.All in all the demo is sweet but just a little too short. Hopefully, we'll see a multiplayer demo before the game hits retail this year.
Midway to develop Aqua Teen Hunger Force combat golf game
What has already been hinted at has finally been confirmed: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is getting a console game. This fall, the mooninites will be invading retail outlets with Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am. Billed as an "epic, action-adventure combat golf, cart racing game," ATHFZNP-A will pit players as the dynamic fast food trio, complete with weapons and golfing equipment, to face bad guys derived from the show.Licensed games, with some exceptions, generally fare badly in terms of quality. There is a glimmer of hope in that ATHF creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis will be "working closely" with Midway, but we're not getting our hopes up.The game is due out this fall on PlayStation 2. If there is any parallel to be drawn between the game and the movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres, however, some sensationalist event might cause the game to expand its horizons to newer generation consoles.
New UT3 screens are eye popping
Our friends at Xboxygen scored some new shots of Unreal Tournament 3, the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series. The shots mostly showcase the game's gloriously rendered vehicles. Most notable of the new vehicles is the vicious tripod pictured above. The giant mechanical beasts appear to be terrorizing the Japanese countryside (something that almost never happens). Another interesting shot shows two players on hoverboards hooked onto a third vehicle, Back to the Future style. Put simply, the game looks great. Click the "read" link for more pretty pictures (perfect for wallpaper).
Midway goes all the way to lend a shoulder to Sony [Update]
Over at IGN, an interview was covered between GamesIndustry.biz and Midway CEO David Zucker. Zucker stood behind Sony's ever popular pricing decision with many points given similar to the breakdown of a bargain posted the other day. He mentioned the very inclusion of a Blu-Ray player and all features that come with that makes it worth the price. If the market for Blu-Ray takes off and it becomes the norm, it helps not only the PS3 all the more, but the Blu-Ray world as well.While PS3 does gather a lot of bad press, this is yet another very large, recognizable company name that does indeed lend support to Sony. Just a basic checklist of companies (well, person/persons in a company, but for generalization) that support Sony so far include, but aren't limited to: Square-Enix, Konami, EA, Midway and Activision. It may not seem like much, but it's better than being surrounded by flame.[Update: Fixed a typo.]
Unreal Championship 2 review round-up
We've already stressed that UC2: The Liandri Conflict is not for everyone. But for those gamers that welcome the challenge, UC2 offers arguably the most intense players-vs-player(s) action on the Xbox. Whether FPS or 3rd-person hand-to-hand, UC2 exploits the Live! medium almost flawlessly. Current reviews: EGM (82) Game Informer (93) GamePro (80) Games Radar UK (90) IGN (93) Maxim Online (100) Official Xbox Magazine (93) Play Magazine (65) TotalGames.net (74)
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
Unreal Championship is not for everyone. Around here, we like to think of it as Halo on speed, a lot of speed. Old school Quake-junkies eat this kinda thing up-along with any unknowing newbies. Just be aware of what you're getting into and prepare to learn the true definition of "respawn". A look at some print scores: EGM (82) Game Informer (93) GamePro (80) Official Xbox Magazine (93) Play Magazine (65)
Unreal Championship 2 is coming
And it's for Microsoft's little black box. This preview of "Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict" drops some interesting facts. Like finishing moves for your character, ala "Mortal Kombat". Hmm... There are various other features that raise an eyebrow too, but then I'm looking at the game from an "Untreal Tournament 2004" perspective, having never played the first game. It sure sounds like good chaotic fun, though. While I don't think I'll ever get the urge for a Nintendo machine (sit down big "N' fans, that's not an insult, just personal choice), Microsoft's box is looking more appealing with each big release...
