Take-Two wanted to publish Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel

According to Curt Schilling, founder and president of 38 Studios, his company was almost done with Take-Two Interactive. The publisher wanted to publish a successor to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but the deal fell through when the studio went bankrupt.

In a interview With Boston Magazine, Schilling, best known in the US as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox baseball team, describes the rise and fall of his company. The sports legend states in the interview that 38 Studios, the developer that Schilling founded in 2006 with the money he earned during his sports career, was close to a deal with Take-Two Interactive. The publisher wanted to release a successor to the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which appeared at the beginning of this year. The contract could have saved the studio from bankruptcy, Schilling believes, but the deal fell through when news broke that 38 Studios was experiencing financial difficulties. The deal was supposed to be signed on May 15, but Take-Two withdrew when the issues became public on May 14.

Schilling’s reading is controversial. Take-Two spokesperson Alan Lewis tells a very different story in the same article. The spokesperson “is not aware of any discussions between Take-Two and 38 Studios” and would not comment further.

Whether a deal with Take-Two could have saved the studio is being questioned by several involved. Schilling wanted to make a mmog with his company. The studio began developing the game, which was titled Copernicus, from an office in Massachusetts. The mmog should be on the market in 2010. At the time, it was estimated that 38 Studios had $50 million to fund the project. Schilling put 5 million into the project and hoped to get the rest from investors. That wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until mid-2010 that Schilling obtained a $75 million loan from the state of Rhode Island. In return, the studio would move, which would create 250 jobs for the state.

However, the studio’s expenses were far too high. According to Lincoln Chafee, as governor of Rhode Island directly involved in the bankruptcy, 38 Studios was burning $4 million a month. When the studio couldn’t pay off the loan to Rhode Island, the governor sounded the alarm, which would be the prelude to bankruptcy.

Schilling, who completely lost his personal fortune of at least $50 million spent to the studio, doesn’t seem to mind the loss. The baseball player is especially disappointed that the mmog has not been successful in marketing. However, he admits in the interview that the game was not good enough. “The game wasn’t fun to play,” Schilling said. “That was my biggest disappointment of the past year.” The fighting in the game in particular was not fun enough, says the pitcher. As Schilling walked through the office during lunch, he didn’t see anyone playing the game’s internal demo. All employees played different games.

Since the bankruptcy of 38 Studios, Rhode Island has owned the rights to both Copernicus and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Electronic Arts has already announced that it wants to bring a sequel to the market. The publisher also released the first volume.