Tag Archives: big huge games

The next Mass Effect game has had new members added to its development team, according to a Superannuation report on Kotaku. The members are ex- Big Huge Games and Impossible Studios staffers, who have now moved on to BioWare Montreal. The report also notes that Colin Campbell is now head of the new Mass Effect’s level design team and Ian Frazier is now its lead gameplay designer. Head through the link for more information.

The first batch of assets from shuttered developers 38 Studios and Big Huge Games went on auction this week and drew in $180,000 for the benefit of creditors. Polygon reports auctioneers described the final figure as “robust” and considered the auction to have been well-attended both in-person and online. It’s the first of three planned sell-offs to help recover some of the company’s debts; the most interesting one, scheduled for about three months, will offer the developers’ intellectual property; whoever snaffles that could well get behind a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel or MMO Copernicus.

According to a Boston Globe report, founder Curt Schilling is in financial difficulties following the insolvency of 38 Studios. Schilling stood as guarantor for “millions” in loans to start and run the developer, and his personal belongings, including valuable baseball memorabilia from his career as a Major Leagues pitcher, are among collateral pledged to his creditors. If you’re a baseball geek you’ll be interested to learn this collection includes the infamous “bloody sock” from the 2004 World Series. For everyone else, there’s this Kotaku article explaining its significance. 38 Studios went bust in May; track the whole sorry story here.

Former 38 Studios employee Steve “Moorgard” Danuser has released a video showing a look at the firm’s cancelled MMO, Project Copernicus. Watch it on YouTube as embedding has been disabled. Thanks, Massively.

A judge awarded all assets belonging to the now-defunct 38 Studios to the State of Rhode Island and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company.

More »

Financial documents allegedly show Kingdoms of Amalur developer 38 Studios spending huge money without a guaranteed source of revenue on its way to apparently inevitable collapse.

More »

In a revealing interview, 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling said a sequel to Kingdoms of Amalur: reckoning nearly made it off the ground – but MMO Project Copernicus was less solid.

More »

EA labels president Frank Gibeau has said hopes a sequel to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will be made, and that EA would “love” to the publishing partner.

More »

Head on over to Gamasutra to read a personal account of a family affected by the closure of 38 Studios. The anonymously published but reportedly verified account exposes some dodgy treatment of staff including broken promises, long hours, poor information flow and even some shady-sounding contractual details which may leave the author with a poor credit rating. The story of the Kingdoms of Amalur developer’s shut down is a complicated and unhappy one indeed, with suggestions the company was sold out by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chaffee. Hopefully affected staff are as fortunate as the new team at Epic Baltimore.

Despite wholesale hires of the Big Huge Games team, Epic doesn’t look likely to back a sequel to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

More »

Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios has declared bankruptcy, amid Rhode Island and federal authorities opening an investigation into finances at the firm were handled. According to a report on The Providence Journal, the state police, as well as the state attorney general’s office, the US Attorney’s office and the FBI are investigating where “both the money that came from the state as well as the money that came from Bank Rhode Island,” went as well as “ctivities that have recently come to light at 38 Studios.” More on Joystiq

Trion CEO Lars Butler is of the opinion 38 Studios’ downfall was caused by more than financial issues, and BioWare’s SWTOR suffers from the lack of content.

More »

Epic Games has reached out to the bulk of former Big Huge Games staffers in an attempt to rescue as much of the team as posible.

More »

A Big Huge Games employee, speaking under anonymity with Gamasutra, has said Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee is partly to blame for the demise of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. The source claims the governor, who was opposed to the deal cut with the firms by former governor Donald Carcieri, leaked incomplete information pertaining to the studios and frightened RI residents when saying they would be on the hook should 38 Studios fail.

More »

Curt Schilling has released more environmental shots of 38 Studios’ Copernicus MMO. Schilling released the shots on his Facebook page. Since you have to log into the site to see them, we’ve pulled the shots and posted the lot below.

More »

Curt Schilling has told The Providence Journal he could end up losing $50 million of his own money due to his studio’s failure, furthermore claiming comments Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee made regarding the firm were “devastating,” and “scared off private investors.”

More »

Big Huge Games was working on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 2, Joystiq‘s rumouring this afternoon.

More »

It feels almost petty to mention it at this point, but the mass lay-offs at 38 Studios have had another casualty – an anticipated patch for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

More »

38 Studios was blindsided by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee’s failure to extend assistance to the financially troubled developer, according to creative director Steve Danuser.

More »

Kotaku is reporting a rumor that troubled development house 38 Studios is laying off its entire staff, and closing down Big Huge Games.

More »