Midway's Secret Game in Peril

Kris Erickson • Dec 5, 2008 • Comments ()

Back in November, Midway Games launched a PR push for a "top secret" game that was shown to a select few journalists who were sworn to secrecy. Developers from inside the company have eagerly promoted the title, saying that it is a graphical powerhouse that looks “Better than Gears of War 2”. Creative director Simon Woodroffe was king of hyperbole last week when he spilled some details to journalists:

“I just saw a demo of a new Midway game that's in development. I can't tell you too much about it, but they've been on it for three months and it looks as good if not better than Gears 2. This is only possible because of the sharing of technology. It's similar to Gears, but a totally different set up. I'd say that if we were to take all of the games that sold on next gen formats, averaged a couple of things out, this will be as successful as anything in the top end. It's a very exciting concept."

Woodroffe also said that this title, which makes use of the Unreal 3 Engine, would not be ready for launch until closer to 2010. With so much time between now and the game’s planned release, we can understand the need for secrecy. But will a game that looks similar to Gears of War 2 still impress audiences when it launches in more than 12 months time?

A bigger concern is that this secret title won’t even launch at all. Midway is shaping up to be one of the first and largest casualties of the current global economic crisis. Entertainment tycoon Sumner Redstone sold his remaining ownership in the company this week for $100,000 to investor Mark Thomas. Today, the software company stated that it is seeking relief from $150 million in outstanding bond debt. Midway has 50 days to repay this debt to bondholders or face bankruptcy. Clearly, a massive restructuring is needed to keep this beleaguered software developer on its feet.

The company will likely survive this ordeal, but unless Midway’s top secret game really is as good as it sounds, this new intellectual property could end up on the chopping block.

Better than Gears of War? Midway's future may depend on it.

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[Sources: Videogamer, Wired]

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Back in November, Midway Games launched a PR push for a \"top secret\" game that was shown to a select few journalists who were sworn to secrecy. Developers from inside the company have eagerly promoted the title, saying that it is a graphical powerhouse that looks “Better than Gears of War 2”. Creative director Simon Woodroffe was king of hyperbole last week when he spilled some details to journalists:\n\n“I just saw a demo of a new Midway game that's in development. I can't tell you too much about it, but they've been on it for three months and it looks as good if not better than Gears 2. This is only possible because of the sharing of technology. It's similar to Gears, but a totally different set up. I'd say that if we were to take all of the games that sold on next gen formats, averaged a couple of things out, this will be as successful as anything in the top end. It's a very exciting concept.\"\n\nWoodroffe also said that this title, which makes use of the Unreal 3 Engine, would not be ready for launch until closer to 2010. With so much time between now and the game’s planned release, we can understand the need for secrecy. But will a game that looks similar to Gears of War 2 still impress audiences when it launches in more than 12 months time?\n\nA bigger concern is that this secret title won’t even launch at all. Midway is shaping up to be one of the first and largest casualties of the current global economic crisis. Entertainment tycoon Sumner Redstone sold his remaining ownership in the company this week for \$100,000 to investor Mark Thomas. Today, the software company stated that it is seeking relief from \$150 million in outstanding bond debt. Midway has 50 days to repay this debt to bondholders or face bankruptcy. Clearly, a massive restructuring is needed to keep this beleaguered software developer on its feet.\n\nThe company will likely survive this ordeal, but unless Midway’s top secret game really is as good as it sounds, this new intellectual property could end up on the chopping block.\n\n\n\n $\"gears-of-war-unreal.jpg\"$ \nBetter than Gears of War? Midway's future may depend on it.\n\n\n\n\n