Midway hawking Mortal Kombat rights
Bankruptcy blow could be a fatality.
Troubled publisher Midway is thought to have put the rights to the Mortal Kombat series up for sale in a last-ditch effort to save the company.
The sale is part of a three-part plan to keep afloat in the face of bankruptcy, studio closures and cancelled games. "Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Blog" netDockets reports that agreeing a sale is part of an incentivised scheme which would involve senior management staff receiving large bonuses. Step one was the off-loading of Vin Diesel vehicle The Wheelman, while steps two and three involve agreeing and closing the Mortal Kombat deal.
The report has apparently angered many regular Midway staff, as there are claims the money being used for the bonuses had been earmarked for paying off lower-level employees. Kotaku is reporting that the money comes from a fund which Midway originally intended to use to compensate sacked staff members for unused holiday time.
Apart from Unreal, we're not sure what Midway will have left on the books should the beat-'em-up series head out of the door. It's not too likely a full financial recovery will occur off the back of sales of Blitz: The League II .
Let's hope that the franchise finds a good home. Street Fighter Vs. Mortal Kombat anyone?