Tag: 38 Studios

38 Studios Is DOA, Entire Staff Laid Off


The 38 Studios saga may come to a close faster than we thought. According to Fox 25 out of Boston, 38 Studios may be out of commission by this weekend at the earliest. If reports are to believed, employees aren’t being paid and are either leaving or being laid off in large quantities. The state of Rhode Island has refused to give any of the money requested, according to Curt Schilling, and many high-up employees have already announced their resignation (including the chief executive and senior vice president).

I am willing to bet that Electronic Arts will likely buy up Big Huge Games as well as the Amalur IP, but this is all speculation.

(Source: Fox Boston)

Turbine Getting Head Start, Recruiting In Rhode Island


Where have I seen this before? Oh yes, before Realtime Worlds went bankrupt. 38 Studios may still be alive, but that isn’t going to stop the vultures from coming in and taking dibs on who gets what cut of meat. Back in 2010, we had the combination flock of Sony, Codemasters, and Blitz to drain whatever remained of Realtime Worlds. Now that 38 Studios is facing layoffs, however, it is Turbine’s turn for first picks.

In a press release today, Turbine announced recruiting in Providence, Rhode Island is set to begin on May 22nd, from 5-9pm at Hotel Providence. You can even check out a list of currently available positions. Rhode Island Governor Chafee announced today that Project Copernicus is set for a June 2013 release date.

When reached for comment as to whether or not the two events were related, Turbine’s career center (pictured above) simply responded “Oh gorgh, nope nope nope nope, I’m not gonna do it ma, you can’t make me, nope nope nope nope.”

(Extra: Time Warner Career Page)

38 Studios Unveils Project Copernicus


We’ve known about 38 Studios’ plan to bring forth an MMO for quite some time, and with the bad news of late (money trouble, not paying loans, meeting with the governor, not paying employees, etc) it may be rather difficult to focus on the fact that 38 Studios is still working on said MMO. While very little is known about the game, 38 Studios released the above fly-through which showcases (at the very least) the art-style that we can expect.

Hopefully we see plenty more from 38 Studios in the future. With an impressive array of names including Todd McFarlane and a story written by none other than the man who owns my very soul, R.A. Salvatore (the monolith crumbling was not my fault, that contract was still fulfilled). Kingdoms of Amalur was a fun game, despite some criticisms, and it would be a grave disappointment to see such an amazing team lose out because of the bean counters.

More on 38 Studios and Project Copernicus as it appears.

Rhode Island Working To Keep 38 Studios Solvent


Let’s talk history. Back in 2010, Rhode Island lured 38 Studios from Massachusetts to their own state with the promise of a $75 million loan, under the promise that 450 jobs would be created. The loan was a product of controversy among Rhode Island politicians, especially as the loan would be hedged on a studio that had yet to put out a product.

Earlier this year, 38 Studios put out Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a single player RPG meant to fund the company’s ongoing production of an MMORPG set in the same universe. The game sold, although it received some harsh criticism for being generic, and while fun doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or innovate the genre.

The Providence Journal states that Governor Chafee has met with 38 Studios to discuss keeping the company solvent. There are no further details to report at this time other than remarks that 38 Studios has been put on a “tight timeframe.”

(Source: Providence Journal)

Kingdoms of Amalur Online Perhaps Later This Year


“From the mediocre game that nobody bought and doesn’t really like that much, comes a big giant version of that game!”
-Todd McFarlane

Todd has a point. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning released one month ago and sales figures place the title at over one third of a million sales. Now that gamers are well versed in the realm of Amalur and the inner working concepts of fate, the team at 38 Studios is instituting phase two of Operation Franchise: Release an MMO. Labeled Project Copernicus, the Kingdom of Amalur MMO is set for release later this year, 2012.

I have my own concerns over Amalur’s prospects for a 2012 release. Assuming the game can hit its 2012 release, the folks at 38 Studios will be competing against The Secret World, TERA, Guild Wars 2, the new World of Warcraft expansion, Neverwinter, and more. Never mind the recent and future free to play transitions of existing MMOs, of course the existing market as it is.

I have high hopes for Amalur Online (my name), but I also recognize the kind of risks that are taken when a developer puts out an MMO for the first time. Crafting an MMO is very different from creating a single player game, and 38 Studios did the smart move by creating a fan base and setting out a base expectation for quality.

More on Amalur Online (not the actual name) as it appears.

Kingdom of Amalur Preview


Why preview Kingdom of Amalur? It’s the first game by 38 Studios, who you may know are working on an MMO to come out at some point in the future. I wanted to get an idea what to expect in terms of quality and aside from some technical issues, I was rather impressed.

Check out my other videos on Youtube at the video link above.

Subsidies and Incentives And Government, What The Hell?


State Funded MMOs?

Today’s news gets stranger and stranger. Earlier today, it was reported that TERA, upcoming MMO by Bluehole Studios, has been subsidized by the Korean Government. As part of the Global Plan, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has selected Bluehole to be part of their fund in an effort to expand Korea’s presence in the MMO realm (this is where you point out the hundred thousand Korean MMOs on the market). It is quite an exclusive program, and is one of nine projects selected.

Don’t worry, it gets stranger. Heading back over to the states, our news focuses on 38 Studios, which at this point in times is located in Massachusetts. As it seems, Rhode Island is very interested in having 38 Studios, with their upcoming MMO Copernicus, and they were willing to extend an olive branch. Granted, the olive branch already existed, but Rhode Island is offering 38 Studios a guaranteed $75 million loan in exchange for relocating the company. For a teeny tiny company like 38 Studios, the thought of a guaranteed $75 million must be a godsend (or a nightmare imagining paying that back).

Next time on MMO Fallout? I’m still waiting on the release of Kim Jong Ill’s MMO.