38 Studios Skips Payroll in Favor of Paying Back State [UPDATED]

rich should just come to giantbomb

This is just really sad. Hopefully the employees can land on their feet. After all of this goes down, I truly wonder what state that supposed MMO is in. I'd be truly interested to learn exactly what has been going on around it and how nothing was ever announced regarding it.

@Winternet said:

Nooooo. Rich needs to get to E3 and show on the bombcast . . . and get paid, of course.

Indeed.

I hope things go well for the folks there, but KoA was kind of disgusting with how it ripped off mechanics from the games it claimed to be "inspired by," so I'm finding it hard to find a lot of sympathy in my heart for the studio's situation.

Something is very fishy!?

All right, who got that money, and which way did they go?

Now while I feel sorry for kers, I thought Curt was self reliance. Ah Hypocrisy. Now really are any of you surprised this happened? This game has been in development for and no hint or hide of the game.ANd it's a MMO in the everquest model. It is not looking good. Now I like reckoning and hope it get's a properer sequel. I say scrap the mmo and make a multiplayer and do multiplayer dlc things. Because the mmo was NOT a good look.Hopefully the staffomething done for thes out. If they got talent they will find a new job.

@BlackLagoon: @Claude said:

You never bet on your favorite team. In Curt Schilling's case, that's MMOs.

But that's unpossible! He's a government-hating, freedom loving libertarian!

No jokes needed here, its just sad.

If I were an employee of 38 studios, I'd be on the hunt for another job. ASAP. Really, I thought that a company not paying their employees was downright illegal under any circumstances?

I hope all the employees the best of luck. They made a great game (I thought so anyway) and deserve better than this.

god damn, this is god damn tragic...

300 employees?!?

The check to the state bounced even after skipping on payroll? Ouch.

That's just wrong on so many levels.

Kingdoms of Amalur MMO Kickstarter inbound.

This really has gone from bad to worse.

I've never liked Curt Schilling for sports and political reasons. But I hope this work out for the sake of the 300+ employees.

@fini_fly said:

@PatchMaster said:

@fini_fly said:

I wonder if Curt Schilling could just pay the employees from his baseball earnings.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schilcu01.shtml

I'm pretty sure he already put his life savings into the studio . Just another thing that sucks about this situation.

I wonder how much he put into it in all honesty.

Apparently his investment in the studio was $4 million, which he repaid himself with the money from Rhode Island. Looks like he'll get out of this unscathed, while the taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Real bummer for those dudes. Hope stuff starts looking up for them soon.

@Spiritof: yes bloody socks for everyone

Ah god you hate to see something like this. Hopefully all at 38 Studios goes well. You never want to see game developers go through shit like this.

Crap....I better buy Kingdoms of Amalur before they disappear =/

38 studios: "So this is what quicksand feels like".

Man, they have (had) 300 employees? Does that include Big Huge Games? This whole thing is getting pretty messed up. Poor Rich.

In there 6 (?) years they did mange to get one game out at least. So that's something at least.

Hopefully Rich and all the other employees land on their feet after this whole fiasco. Seems like another case of poor management with the ordinary employees suffering the consequences and the bosses probably getting getting off scot-free. 

I don't think kick starter is gonna save this one...

@TheHBK said:

Oh no Rich! We do need a good East Coast Correspondent out there, and he is close to the action. Get him signed up CBS!

This.

Ouch, what's the fee on bouncing a 1,125,000 dollar check... Also hoping for the best for Rich Gallop, I think he's still working there.

Schilling is going to be cutting his ankles and selling commemorative socks before this is all over.

Someone start a ChipIn for Rich Gallup

Oh no Rich! We do need a good East Coast Correspondent out there, and he is close to the action. Get him signed up CBS!

You never bet on your favorite team. In Curt Schilling's case, that's MMOs.

Gotta feel for the employees that didn't get their paycheck.

Cheque, not check.

Fuck, I'd hate to see the overdraft fees on a $1.125 million check.

@MildMolasses said:

I see a few people blaming the state for this mess, which seems quite harsh. They were given a loan to go to RI to create jobs and tax revenue. I would assume by the size of the loan, that 38 was making some fairly big promises to the government which ultimately they didn't follow through on. I think the problem here is that 38 reached to high and were to mismanaged to do what they needed too. They've been working on that MMO far too long to have not even shown off a screenshot yet

because its too risky, dont use tax payer money on an MMO of all games especially with an unestablished IP.

its an obvious failure on the level of a scam.

FAT CATS IN WASHINGTON

They should start a kickstarter!

@Jason_Bourne said:

@oturista said:

This bums me out to no end... I thought the game had sold well, it's so good.

It sold pretty well for a new IP, and one without marketing at that. But 38 has 300 hundred people, average studios have around 100. That, plus they've been funding an MMO for years now as well as paying off a 75 million dollar loan. Even if Reckoning was a smash hit, 38 would still end up here because of poor management.

Also, don't forget that Reckoning was made by Big Huge Games (they were bought by 38 Studios). 38 Studios proper has not shipped anything. Sadly, the studio that actually got a game to retail will go down with the ship.

Curt Schilling the massive capitalist two-face.

The most frustrating part about this is that while his employees probably lose their jobs, he's got enough money personally that he'll escape from this unscathed. The saddest part is that Kingdoms of Amalur likely did very well when you take into account international and digital sales beyond the useless NPD numbers. Everyone's fleeing AAA console development right now but that's the one thing that did well for them. If they'd stuck to that instead of burning all their reserves on Yet Another Fantasy MMO, they'd probably be doing alright.

@razkazz said:

This is all Todd McFarlane's fault.

Most things are.

Seems kinda bullshit for the employees; the studio and the state negotiate the loan, they just come to work there, but they're the ones who get shafted when the studio fucks up. "Sorry guys, we know you've been working hard and all, but...we have to cut back on the free coffee. (Also we can't pay you). Happy Friday!"

What were they doing employing over 300 people with only having released 1 game fo far. Ya they have not managed this company well at all. A shame. I kinda liked Amalur too.

That sucks, too bad the whole company has been so badly mismanaged.

@MovieFlask said:

Curt could use a few more shillings.

"...leaving the more than 300 full-time employees at the company..."

Ok, that would explain how they burned through $75 million in a few years.

Show 'em the sock, Curt! Show' em the sock.

(I bet he took all the money and is now on some tropical South American beach.)

Wow...this is the worst possible thing to happen. Especially with no light at the end of the tunnel. What are they thinking, that they're going to just not pay people every month?

So the state gets theirs, Schilling gets his, and the rank and file who actually do the work get nothing. Sounds like 21st Century America in a nutshell.

This is all Todd McFarlane's fault.

@SmasheControllers: I would expect its royalty based, so they'd get a cut based on whatever their arrangement with EA is.

I believe they get 100% of Steam revenue, minus Valve's cut as retailer, for example. EA is only publishing retail and console versions.

These bungling executives are lucky they've got a good team working there, honestly.