Company mismanagement and poor sales of the ambitious RPG meant 38 Studios collapsed shortly after it became clear Kingdoms of Amalur was not going to be a World of Warcraft-style hit. This left nearly 400 developers adrift, and waiting for their final paycheck - until now. A new report from Bloomberg [paywall] states staff are now belatedly receiving their last pay packet - albeit just a fraction of what they were owed (thanks GamesIndustry.biz). 38 Studios staff based in Rhode Island allegedly receive just 14 percent of their final earnings. Those based in Maryland get 20 percent. Another added wrinkle? Employees are being contacted about the money via their addresses at the time - many of which are now outdated, as staff have relocated to other jobs since. Kingdoms of Amalur was famously pitched as the entry point into a new fantasy world - one created by author R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane and Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. There were plans for a World of Warcraft-scale MMO, to which Reckoning (and a proposed sequel) would simply be the prologue. At launch, Amalur sold moderately well but not enough to pay back an investment from the state of Rhode Island - and developer 38 Studios was soon shut down. The studio’s founder, former baseball player Curt Schilling, was engulfed in years of messy legal wrangling over funds. Memorably, Schilling auctioned off an infamous, bloodied baseball sock to raise some cash. Four years later, Schilling was cleared of criminal charges over the investment money. Finally, THQ Nordic scooped up the rights to the Amalur franchise and released a remaster of the game in 2020. A new expansion, Fatesworn, is due later this year.
