"Finish Him!" or "Midway Really is Dying"

So I just found out that Midway is selling the Mortal Kombat franchise, pretty much their only franchise remaining with any real selling power after the marginally successful MK vs. DC Universe earlier this generation.

Even though I do think the company pulled a lot of bad choices over the years I still have fond memories of some of their games and franchises. Obviously Mortal Kombat and most of it's incarnations were decent, sometimes completely awesome, in my opinion, I'd even say I enjoyed what I played of Mortal Kombat: Mythologies. When Deadly Alliance came out for the Gamecube I was actually impressed, they had turned what essentially had become a parody of it's former self into something with a decent and intriguing plot, it was a breath of life in the series.

Other fond memories include Crusi'n USA and World on the N64 and in the Arcades, as well as Gauntlet: Legends on the N64 and Arcades (Disney Quest in Chicago was so much fun back in the day when we Gauntlet: Legends there).

Midways major troubles started with the downslide of videogames that still hampers the industry as developers try to be more like Hollywood. They are all working on being the next big thing, for a little while. Midway's biggest blunder was arguably Stanglehold for the PS3 and 360, a John Woo directed game featuring Chow Yun-Fat, and the spiritual successor to the cul classic Hard Boiled. The game was well received, but did not make up for it's tremendous cost.

Also, late last year Midway changed hands as Summer Redstone, owner of National Amusements Inc. (which holds CBS and Viacom under it's control, amongst others), sold his 87% share in Midway to private investor Mark Thomas. Thomas took on $70m of Midways debt, however the sale of the stock caused Midway to have $240m in debt as clauses in bond issues triggered allowing for full repayment to be requested on $150m.

However, there is a silver lining to all this... Midway has filed for bankruptcy, but a company rep has said "We felt this was a logical next step for our organization, considering the change in control triggered the acceleration of the repayment options...we're looking to reorganize and to come out on the other side stronger"

It will not be with Mortal Kombat, or maybe not even Gauntlet, and for all intents and purposes Nintendo owns Cruis'n as much as Midway does... but Midway will return someday. When that is, and what form they will take is anybodies guess.

NOTE: Acclaim, the people who published Mortal Kombat I and II back when Midway was still Williams Entertainment have also come back since they dies last gen, but in name only it seems. Acclaim now does MMO games, including a dancing MMO... not quite sure how that works.