The MK team, which comprises about 50 developers, is said to be in discussions with a handful of unnamed publishers, with senior members of the group handling negotiations for a possible exodus from Midway. According to Midway sources who wished to remain anonymous, one of the catalysts for the move is a lack of payment in bonuses due to MK team members based on meeting Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sales targets... If the MK team—who are apparently not under contract at Midway—does find a new studio to call home at a publisher other than Midway, the fighting game franchise may not go with them. That, as well as having to abandon work on the follow-up to MK vs. DC, tentatively titled Mortal Kombat 9, was going to be "tough."
Mortal Kombat
The Mortal Kombat series, and its many games, continues to deliver gruesome fighting action to its fans.
Mortal Kombat Team To Midway: "Later"
The MK team, which comprises about 50 developers, is said to be in discussions with a handful of unnamed publishers, with senior members of the group handling negotiations for a possible exodus from Midway. According to Midway sources who wished to remain anonymous, one of the catalysts for the move is a lack of payment in bonuses due to MK team members based on meeting Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sales targets... If the MK team—who are apparently not under contract at Midway—does find a new studio to call home at a publisher other than Midway, the fighting game franchise may not go with them. That, as well as having to abandon work on the follow-up to MK vs. DC, tentatively titled Mortal Kombat 9, was going to be "tough."
It's a great move on their part. Plenty of publishers would be willing to pick these guys up, I would think. It looks like the end of Midway is neigh, and I can't say I'll be sad to see them go, so long as their properties continue to live on, and their developers continue making the money they deserve.
Well Midway, it was nice knowing you. But that's what happens when you make games no one cares about.
If what the source says is true, I can't say I blame them. Midway executives were lining themselves up for large bonuses but holding them back from the team who made one of the only games of theirs that actually sold last year?! That's insanity. I know they've retooled the bonus thing somewhat after the government got wind of it but they've still promised themselves lots of money if they can bring the company out of bankruptcy, even though they were the ones who made it happen. I hope these guys can find success with more intelligent managers.
This is the reason why you treat your workers good, because when you need them most they might just walk out on you. For these 50 developers I hope they can manage to stay together and give us another amazing fighting series.
Midway never rocked my universe anyway (never liked MK) so having them gone won't be something that change my life
Anyway, Midway is still screwed big time
Just imagine if they weren't so much of a bitch when it comes to bounses, things maybe different
"Please be Capcom, please be Capcom."
Good god if capcom gets MK that would make some of the most AMAZING fighting games! Not gonna lie i would love to c the MK team make a 100% super hero fighting game.
when was the last time midway actually put out a good game? frankly i'm surprised they're still in business.
"And then I said to the money, GET OVER HERE!!"
I knew this was coming,without boon on the development team it just wont be the same,heres hopin the franchise and the Mk team get picked up by a good company
Kotaku is not a viable news source, so I'm taking this with 17 grains of salt. IF true, that's a huge blow to Midway.
i assume if this is true that activision is involved. they love to sequal things like crazy and MK a franchise they can do it to
Was there any good MK since II and maaaaybe 3 Ultimate anyway? What will these guys bring to CAPCOM that so many people want them to go to? CAPCOM has pretty much perfected the beat em up, if they wanted to do something stupid and violent like MK they would have done it already. They've done crazier ideas than that anyway, like, I don't know, Power Stone, Tatsunoko/X-Men/Marvel vs, Rival Schools, etc.
I'm down for another team handling MK. I don't think the "MK team" has been doing a great job with their baby in recent years, and I would like to see them try to make a new franchise and let some other team breathe some new life into Mortal Kombat.
wait, does EA still own the Marvel license from Marvel Nemesis? if so then there could just as well be a possible Marvel vs. DC game that will more than likely have the MK fighting system instead of Capcom's...not saying it'll be better or worse that way, but it's still something to consider.
If Midway survives through this, then great, I'm happy for them, but if they dont there is a reason for it, and it may be their time to go, but whatever happens we NEED (thats right not "want", but NEED) an excessively gory, instensively violent, old school MK game on a current-gen console I'm sick of looking at these last gen gore-filled fatalities, or the current-gen watered down broken mirror version of what they used to be. how cool would it be to rip Superman's head off?
Every fucking time I hear another nail being driven into Midway's coffin I just think: "HEY! HOW ABOUT FUCKING PSI OPS 2! FORCE UNLEASHED STOLE ALL OF THE SHIT FROM THE FIRST ONE, WHY NOT MAKE A SEQUEL WITH A BETTER MARKETING STRATEGY?!?!" and then I say "NO! NEVERMIND! JUST MAKE ANOTHER SHITTY GTA KNOCK OFF!!!". They seem to listen to the latter one more than the first.
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