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[Baron Aloha]

Midway is expendable as far as I'm concerned.

IAWTP. A couple of above average titles does not make up for years of crap. I mean if Nintendo was to release 5 mature titles in a row that certainly wouldn't make them mature. The same principles apply here. Releasing a few decent games doesn't suddenly make Midway good. Too little, too late IMO.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

IAWTP. A couple of above average titles does not make up for years of crap. I mean if Nintendo was to release 5 mature titles in a row that certainly wouldn't make them mature. The same principles apply here. Releasing a few decent games doesn't suddenly make Midway good. Too little, too late IMO.

Does Midway blight your existence in some way? If it weren't for their being around, these 'above average' titles would never have happened. I'll never understand why anyone would want a game company to die off. Don't like their games? Don't buy/rent/borrow/play them.

 

[Funky Papa]

Some of you would make the worst jury ever.

Acclaim closing the shop is bad news. If you look behind their crap and your deceptions you will find some nice people who will end jobless. But hey, that doesn't matter because all the peeps ranting about how they deserve to die bought five copies of BMX XXX expeting it to be the savior of the videogame world. Yes, that's what I am thinking.

 

[chespace]

this is bad news indeed. those of you cheering from the rafters should probably temper your joy with the knowledge that any bankruptcy in the industry is ultimately bad for the industry as a whole.

luckily, i have a copy of the red star reviewable sitting right here. i wonder if i still have to write the review now.

also, doesn't anyone care about Juiced? no? didn't think so.

 

[xsarien]

this is bad news indeed. those of you cheering from the rafters should probably temper your joy with the knowledge that any bankruptcy in the industry is ultimately bad for the industry as a whole.

luckily, i have a copy of the red star reviewable sitting right here. i wonder if i still have to write the review now.

also, doesn't anyone care about Juiced? no? didn't think so.

Well, to be absolutely fair, Acclaim hasn't given us much to be genuinely excited about this generation outside of being the publisher for Burnout 1 and 2. BMX XXX was borderline insulting to even the mainstream gamer's intelligence, Turok's been milked absolutely dry, and the only reason Juiced has any hope of being good is because Acclaim isn't making it, just publishing it.

Yes, it's bad for the industry and sad for the employees who probably gave a damn, but in the case of Acclaim, it's self-inflicted thanks to management with heads firmly up each others' asses.

 

[JackFrost2012]

It's also worth noting that, in the game industry, corruption starts from the top. The decent, hard-working people who tried their best with the mediocre design documents they were given are being shown the door - probably without severance - while the asshole, coke-addicted managers and executive producers who made Acclaim the cesspool it was will worm their way into the heart of another company within the month.

Sure, their games weren't always the best, but that doesn't mean the people who actually had to make them were responsible - or that they deserve to have lost their jobs.

 

[Funky Papa]

Juiced rocks. It has some evident flaws but it is a great game overall, much better than NFSU. I feel bad for the team, they don't deserve what they are getting

 

[ge-man]

I really meh about the whole thing. Bankruptcy is bad and it's definately something we should be cheering on for in the gaming industry. At the same time, I can't shed any tears for Acclaim or their ilk--they put themselves in these positions ultimately.

In the end I hope they sort themselves, but I won't lose sleep over it if this turns out to be their last stand.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Sucks for Acclaim and the people that work there. Being unemployed is not teh win. So hopefully they can pull a Midway and turn it around with some original licenses, not bought ones. That brings the cost of the game down big time.

 

[djtiesto]

Some could argue that the more talented members of the Acclaim team will find jobs elsewhere... I don't know if I agree with this, it still really sucks for these people.

Especially, since if I ever decide to try my hand at working in the games industry, Acclaim would be the ideal place to start due to its location.

I would've liked to see The Red Star be a reasonable hit for the company, and the management to notice, be more apt to give more niche titles a chance, and turn their reputation around, somewhat... kind of like what Midway is doing. Then again, I never thought Midway's games were, on the average, terrible. I had a lot of fun playing some of their arcade games... Me and my friends used to play the Cruisin' games all the time at the arcades, and Blitz and NBA Jam were fun too, back in the day. Not really the deepest games, by any means, but fun and harmless to put a few bucks in every now and then when we were at the arcade. And, who here that was a big gamer DIDN'T enjoy the MK games when they first came out?? MK1 was the first game I've ever preordered...

 

[kaching]

Too much shit is published these days.

I'd dare say the good:bad quality content ratio in the videogaming sector is not different in any signifcant way from any other succesful entertainment medium. And its not as if Acclaim's potential departure from the industry would *permanently* decrease the amount of shit that's published or, perhaps more appropriately, people's perception of how much shit is published.

Furthermore, if you think this sends any kind of clear warning to other greedy, soulless types not to do what Acclaim did, you're wrong. All they'll see is how long Acclaim was able to get away with it before folding.

 

[Acosta]

No, it's not good for the industry, I feel sory for Acclaim workers. Some of you should be ashamed for cheering about people loosing years of efforts.

Well, about the games from a personal viewpoint... I don't care for Juiced, much less for 100 Bullets. I'm sure (at least that is what I what to think) that Bard´s Tale will find other publishers.

But it´s a shame for the future games of Acclaim, not much for Emergency Mayhem, but Interview wit Self Made Man looked interesting, and that game about heists looked promising. I doubt they survive.

 

[FoneBone]

It'll probably end up getting delayed a while, but I have little doubt that The Red Star will find a publisher.

 

[pilonv1]

The only ones hating on Midway have to be Gamecube owners since they're not recieving as much support from them. Their recent output has been fantastic, and some of their stuff in the future looks great.

 

[SolidSnakex]

The only ones hating on Midway have to be Gamecube owners since they're not recieving as much support from them. Their recent output has been fantastic, and some of their stuff in the future looks great.

This is true. There's no reason to hate Midway right now. Sure they've put out alot of crap over the past few years, but recently they've been putting out quality titles. Yah it's only a few titles, but it shows that they're serious about making better games now. I can't see why anyone would want a company like that to go out. I don't really see why anyone would want any company to go out, if you don't like their games just don't buy them.

 

[jarrod]

I think diverting Turok resources to 3 systems was a bad idea, they should have left the franchise Nintendo exclusive so that it would have stood out from Nintendo's more colorful lineup, plus they would have optimized it for the system (for better graphics) and would have probably nailed down some better design (like the first 2 games in the series, which totally rocked)...

The real problem with Turok is that virtually all the talent involved with Turok 1-2 jumped ship for Retro Studios when it was formed.

Do they? It seemed to me that most of their titles excluded the Gamecube, but perhaps there are still some titles being developed for the platform.

They made a rather public display saying they were dropping the platform last year for financials reasons (as did Acclaim & Codemasters around the same time). Since then though, GC had an incredibly strong price drop fueled 4th quarter and Midway's started up GC development again. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and Mortal Kombat Deception are both GC bound now, and I've got a feeling LA Rush will probably show up eventually.

Cutting all support doesn't make sense for a userbase as large and stable as GameCube, but cutting back and selecting ports more carefully seems like a good plan for western companies.

 

[Shoryuken]

What's up with all the Midway defending? If people can hope that developers like Sega and Nintendo die, I don't see anything wrong with a little Midway and Acclaim hate. Personally I don't believe I've ever purchased a Midway or Acclaim game, so their demise or livelihood has little effect(?) on me.

 

[Mr_Furious]

Any VG company filing for bankruptcy is bad for the industry, PERIOD, and all of you wishing ill will towards the hundreds of hard working employees at Acclaim, Midway, or where ever, make me sick.

(and no, I don't work for either company)

 

[Deg]

Any VG company filing for bankruptcy is bad for the industry, PERIOD, and all of you wishing ill will towards the hundreds of hard working employees at Acclaim, Midway, or where ever, make me sick.

(and no, I don't work for either company)

you worked for 3d0?

 

[Mr_Furious]

you worked for 3d0?

nope

 

[Deg]

nope

It is sad of course because because Acclaim had potential but all that was lost completely last year or so.

 

[Mr_Furious]

Acclaim closing could also significantly impact any one of the many smaller developers signed with them as well.

 

[DDayton]

If Midway were to ever merge with Infogrames, at least all the Atari rights would be in one company.

 

[jarrod]

If Midway were to ever merge with Infogrames, at least all the Atari rights would be in one company.

It's more likely Atari/Infogrames would simply buy Midway rather than merge.

 

[firex]

While it's not really bad for game quality overall to see Acclaim go, it's awful for the employees... and I'd much rather have 100 different developers and publishers, some of them of questionable quality like Acclaim, than all 3rd party games being run by Infogrames, VU, EA, Ubisoft, Capcom and Konami if only because it means more variety and more new ideas being tried out.

Not that I hate any of those mentioned megapublishers... I just don't want an industry where they're the only publishers for the majority of games.

 

[wipeout364]

I don't care for Akklaim, though I did appreciate Turok and Extreme G when I had my N64. I do not wish for them to go under though, there is so much consolidation in the industry right now I am not sure where things are going? Granted they mostly produce crap, but who is next, Eidos, THQ, Infogrames, these companies do put out the occasional good game.

 

[fennec fox]

It'll probably end up getting delayed a while, but I have little doubt that The Red Star will find a publisher.

They'd have to relicense the comic, though, which may be too much work for a company like, say, Majesco looking for bargains.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

I wouldn't mind if Midway & Acclaim went. I want them to just sell off their franchises so they stay alive though. Psi-Ops was pretty good sans story & characters, and the Suffering seems to be a good game (haven't played it though). This Red Star game people keep jabbering on about sounds good too.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

Was The Red Star being developed at Acclaim Austin? If so, I hope the go to Retro. They seemed like a pretty good studio. Personally, I don't get all the Turok:Evolution hate and I thought Vexx was decent. It was'nt great, but the studio definately had some talent. It just seems to me they needed some guidance and direction. Hopefully EA or Activision will pick them up.

 

[WarPig]

Yeah, Red Star was made at the Austin studio. Not sure by who in particular, though, because there were so many cuts and shuffles there over the years that it's hard to say who stuck around.

If you look at Acclaim's last 10-K, it's just fucking staggering. Comparing the amount of money spent to the number of titles released reveals just massive, massive waste. Either this was the most inefficient operation in the history of the business, or somebody was buying a whole fuck-ton of drugs with the "miscellaneous' budget.

DFS.

 

[Auron]

It's to bad people have to lose their job like this, but it's the nature of things, survival of the fittest. If you put out bad games, it's bad for the industry in that it creates a negative perception of gaming as a whole. What good does it do to sell a system and a game to a new customer, just to have it be sent to the closet due to lack of satisfaction? Weeding out the under-performers is the way to gain consumer confidence, and ultimately grow the industry.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

That's a shame. Despite it's critism I thought Turok Evolution was one of the best games in the series. The multiplayer sucked as usual, but I thought the single player game was a lot of fun. I was really looking forward to The Red Star too. Knowing that Acclaim Austin developed it just cements the fact to me that they made good games. I really hope someone acquires them. I think it's a waste of talent if they don't. I think it sucks about Acclaim, I remember them back from the Atari days. I remember they made the first wireless controller for the original NES. First Sega and now Acclaim. These are major companies. I'm no expert on business finances and stuff, but this is really disturbing to me as far as the game industry is concerned as a whole. Who's next? They had quite a few games that were coming out in just a few weeks, and now they're just gonna be canned? Yeah, Acclaim put out a lot of crap, but they've also put out some great games through the years and looked to have some more good games coming out. Unlike SEGA though, they're completely done. They were so close to making a come back. It's sad to see them go out like this.

 

[JJConrad]

This sucks for Acclaim's employees, but I don't see how this is bad for the industry.

Acclaim was an average (at best) developer/publisher. Pull their titles off the shelves and it leaves more room for better games and for the smaller studios. Their better games can still be picked up by other companies and be released... possibly with better results than had Acclaim done it.

For future investers, this may look like a black eye for the industry, but so would Acclaim continueing on the path they were on. How can you possibly claim that investors would be happier had Acclaim just continued bleeding money? How does that make the industry look better? Now, Acclaim has a chance to start over and turn themselves around.

Don't feel sorry for them. They aren't some little underdog company. Acclaim was once a top (I believe THE top) 3rd party publisher in the US, just 10 years ago. They dug their own grave. And for you EA haters... maybe lightning can strike twice....

This is just the market regulating itself. It happens every few years (usually around the turn of the generation). The strong become stronger, the strong become weak, the weak become strong or the weak become weaker.... that's just how it is.

 

[Flynn]

Acclaim was stupidly planning to release The Red Star this fall against the murderer's row of AAA releases.

Some smart studio will surely scoop up this game, release it early next summer and make a mid-sized hit out of it. The game deserves better than what Acclaim had planned for it.

+1 for Red Star

Hopefully the great designers and programmers behind the game land on their feet.

 

[Anyanka]

It's weird to think 10 years ago they were on top with all the Midway home versions like MK and NBA JAM. I can't even remember the last Acclaim game I bought now.


It will suck if Midway dies. I don't want MK in anyone else's hands.

 

[fennec fox]

Yeah, Red Star was made at the Austin studio. Not sure by who in particular, though, because there were so many cuts and shuffles there over the years that it's hard to say who stuck around.

The core is Vexx guys, which were in turn the N64 Turok guys, I think. One of the main designers used to write for Tips & Tricks magazine; The Red Star is his first job "in the industry".

I just got back from Midway's press day, and I don't think they're in any danger of collapsing immediately, no. Although Ballers really saved them this summer.

 

[DrGAKMAN]

To lump all Nintendo fans as people who hate companies who don't support GAMECUBE or are non-Japanese is just...retarded. Yeah some people are like that, but I myself, a Nintendo-only supporter can appreciate the rich history of Midway...Midway Arcade Treasures is *awesome* and I can't wait for the second one to come out. I'm glad that they're trying to "turn things around" and make good games again, but really the only games that really matter to most are Treasures 2 & the new MK...both of which are coming to GAMECUBE so I'm not hatin'. And even when MK was rumored not to be coming to GAMECUBE I didn't care much, 'cos it's not my cup of tea (more of a Street Fighter man), but I'm not gonna hold a grudge against them if they stop making games for GAMECUBE. They're gonna do what they're gonna do, so what.

Acclaim...good riddance IMO.

It's funny, all these companies are like running themselves into the ground ("Hi, I'm Trip Hawkings and let's renounce & stop making our best franchise, BattleTanx, and instead make 3 Army Men games at the same time, oh wait, we're outta money...quick, let's poor all our resources into Cubix...yeah that'll work!") and the "big boys" like EA & MS are there to gobble up the lefovers. I think some of 'em do it on purpose just to sell out to the highest bidder and walk away with easy money. They run blind 'cos they know if they get into trouble there's alot of rich companies who are desperate enough to buy them just for more exclussive content.

 

[dark10x]

To lump all Nintendo fans as people who hate companies who don't support GAMECUBE or are non-Japanese is just...retarded.

Well, I certainly wasn't suggesting that. Cybamerc is a special kind of Nintendo fan, you see...and that's who I was addressing (dunno about everyone else).

You'd be hard pressed to find someone more biased than he is. Unlike most people who side with a specific platform, he truly does NOT give most other companies a chance at all. I mean, I'm not a huge Nintendo fan...but I own a GC and a great collection of games for it. Cybamerc would probably pass out if he were to even come within 10 feet of a Dual Shock 2...

 

[Mooreberg]

Acclaim did it to themselves with years of crappy games. Burnout 2 was great but they spent more advertising money on shit like Turok Evolution and they ended up losing Criterion to EA.

As far as Midway goes, I thought Sumner Redstone invested heavily in the company already. So they wouldn't even be close to bankruptcy, just perhaps a shift in direction since he'd call the shots as the majority share holder.

 

[JayFro]

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/579797.asp?q=nba ballers

NBA Ballers 84.5% on PS2

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914620.asp?q=the suffering

The Suffering 82.2% on Xbox

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914551.asp?q=Psi Ops

Psi-Ops 85.1% on PS2


Looks like Midways done pretty well in the last 6 months or so. Three very solid titles on different platforms right here.

 

[MassiveAttack]

It doesn't require a rocket scientist to figure out what went wrong with Acclaim over the last 10 years. Let's break it down point by point:

1) No greenlight process and therefore, no checks and balances on what products received funding and why. The greenlight process at Acclaim was a phone call and a check book with little or no regard for market research or competitive analysis.

2) No P&Ls for individual products and therefore, no balance sheet to track what was being spent on what, where and when.

3) No dissemination of decision-making power. Acclaim was the worst sort of oligarchy in that all decisions were controlled by the very people who should not have been making them. The system remained in place for too long because ownership and management egos conspired to tighten their grip even when it was clear they had failed. The old-boy network at Acclaim was a circle jerk of epic proportions and longevity.

4) The Midway Effect. During the glory years of 1993-1995, with certain executive compensation in excess of $3MM per annum, the company thought the MK and NBA Jam days would last forever and henceforth, acted as if it could do no wrong. Ego and arrogance ran amok. The wrong staff was hired at the wrong time. Movie licenses were acquired with reckless abandon and summarily developed into crap. The real beginning of Acclaim's demise started with the loss of the Midway license and the disastrous overproduction and retail rejection of Batman Forever.

Acclaim, like Atari, would be a perfect Harvard casebook study. Hopefully the example of Acclaim is a warning and a lesson to publishers of its ilk. Unfortunately, this is an industry that has grown far faster than it has matured and the next-gen consoles will leave virtually no room for error. Expect the failures and bankruptcies to continue.

 

[Deleted member 284]

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914809.asp?q=nba ballers

NBA Ballers 88.5% on Gamecube

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914620.asp?q=the suffering

The Suffering 82.2% on Xbox

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914551.asp?q=Psi Ops

Psi-Ops 85.1% on PS2


Looks like Midways done pretty well in the last 6 months or so. Three very solid titles on different platforms right here.

Uh, Ballers is NOT out on GC

 

[JayFro]

Uh, Ballers is NOT out on GC

Fixed.

 

[Deleted member 284]

It doesn't require a rocket scientist to figure out what went wrong with Acclaim over the last 10 years. Let's break it down point by point:

1) No greenlight process and therefore, no checks and balances on what products received funding and why. The greenlight process at Acclaim was a phone call and a check book with little or no regard for market research or competitive analysis.

2) No P&Ls for individual products and therefore, no balance sheet to track what was being spent on what, where and when.

3) No dissemination of decision-making power. Acclaim was the worst sort of oligarchy in that all decisions were controlled by the very people who should not have been making them. The system remained in place for too long because ownership and management egos conspired to tighten their grip even when it was clear they had failed. The old-boy network at Acclaim was a circle jerk of epic proportions and longevity.

4) The Midway Effect. During the glory years of 1993-1995, with certain executive compensation in excess of $3MM per annum, the company thought the MK and NBA Jam days would last forever and henceforth, acted as if it could do no wrong. Ego and arrogance ran amok. The wrong staff was hired at the wrong time. Movie licenses were acquired with reckless abandon and summarily developed into crap. The real beginning of Acclaim's demise started with the loss of the Midway license and the disastrous overproduction and retail rejection of Batman Forever.

Acclaim, like Atari, would be a perfect Harvard casebook study. Hopefully the example of Acclaim is a warning and a lesson to publishers of its ilk. Unfortunately, this is an industry that has grown far faster than it has matured and the next-gen consoles will leave virtually no room for error. Expect the failures and bankruptcies to continue.

I'm sorry for the people that loss jobs @ Acclaim, but lets be real. Acclaim was not helping grow or maintain the industry in any positive way or effect. Some of the points made above have been known for a very long time and really needed to be put into check. Its just boggling how long the BS went on over there in Glen Cove, NY.

 

[Fatalah]

Acclaim didn't pick the right games to put their weight behind. RE-VOLT, for example, was totally forgotten about. And so was SHADOWMAN, as was FORSAKEN. Acclaim is based not to far from where I live, in Glen Cove NY. Seeing them go is really hard because I was a game tester for them at one point. Their proximity to me was always nice because I felt close to the videogame industry. I wish somebody would keep them going, maybe a buyer could have them remain in Glen Cove. Aw man.

 

[shuri]

Dear god I remember the hype for Batman Forever on consoles. My friend bought the game on release day. We played for 10 minutes before going back to Mortal Kombat.

 

[cybamerc]

JJConrad:

> This sucks for Acclaim's employees, but I don't see how this is bad for the industry.

Completely agree.

> Pull their titles off the shelves and it leaves more room for better games and for the
> smaller studios.

Completely agree.

> This is just the market regulating itself. It happens every few years (usually around
> the turn of the generation). The strong become stronger, the strong become weak, the
> weak become strong or the weak become weaker.... that's just how it is.

Indeed. The notion that the death of a few medium sized publishers is going to stop new players from entering the market is ridulous. It hasn't in the past! Much bigger ones have died too.



dark10x:

> You'd be hard pressed to find someone more biased than he is. Unlike most people who
> side with a specific platform, he truly does NOT give most other companies a chance at all.

You assume far too much and have an annoying way of projecting your own bias on to others. Owning multiple systems is no excuse.

As for me, I did the multiplatform thing last gen. I picked up a Sega Saturn and PS1 shortly after their US launches. I've since come to realize that I don't have time for multiple systems and Nintendo being my favorite publisher makes my system purchases an easy decision.

 

[cybamerc]

Acclaim didn't pick the right games to put their weight behind. RE-VOLT, for example, was totally forgotten about. And so was SHADOWMAN,...

The last Shadowman bombed.

 

[Tellaerin]

Aside from the internally-developed titles Midway has in the pipe, don't forget the deal they inked with Epic to distribute their next couple of titles. The most recent Unreal Championship 2 vids look phenomenal, and the addition of unlockable MK characters (announced in the most recent trailer) is a nice bit of cross-licensing. (Wonder who they'll be including?)

If Midway keeps turning out quality games and inking smart deals, they should be able to keep one step ahead of the Dahaka... er, bankruptcy, at least for the foreseeable future. I'm pulling for them.

 

[Flatbread]

I think diverting Turok resources to 3 systems was a bad idea, they should have left the franchise Nintendo exclusive so that it would have stood out from Nintendo's more colorful lineup, plus they would have optimized it for the system (for better graphics) and would have probably nailed down some better design (like the first 2 games in the series, which totally rocked)...

That one decision to go with PS2 and XBox as well for Turok Evolution probably made a big difference, and probably helped take the company down. Right now, Midway is basically living off Mortal Kombat, and Acclaim could have lived off Turok alone for another couple of years if they had nailed down a good next-gen version, but they bothed it hard...

Last time I checked Midway had Very good sales for NBA Ballers, dont have exact numbers, but I'm guessing its around 500,000 for ps2 and xbox.

although psi ops bombed sales wise it was an excellent game.

The suffering did well sales-wise also, im sure its over 300,000 by now, and also was a quality title.

I think your midway is living off mortal kombat is way off.