38 Studios Saves Big Huge Games
Troubled real-time strategy and role-playing developer Big Huge Games lives on, with Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios stepping up at the last moment for a late game save.
38 Studios has purchased Big Huge Games from THQ, adding a huge chunk of quality real-time strategy and role-playing talent to their roster and saving the developer from imminent closure. In March of this year, previous owner THQ threatened to close the studio following losses of $US191.8 million in the previous financial quarter. Then came the layoffs. With the purchase, 38 Studios acquires all of Big Huge’s intellectual property, development tools, and works in progress, including RPG legend Ken Rolston’s upcoming role-playing game.
“It’s always about team,” said 38 Studios Founder and Chairman Curt Schilling. “The highly regarded developers at BHG, including leading role-playing and real-time strategy design teams led by Ken Rolston, are a perfect complement to 38 Studios’ staggering array of talent. Big Huge Games is a phenomenal team and, culturally, a natural fit.”
Big Huge Games will be integrated into 38 Studios, but will continue to operate out of Timonium, Maryland.
Having been eagerly awaiting Ken Rolston’s RPG project since it was first announced in 2007, this is welcome news indeed. A feel-good story in a time of industry turmoil. Besides, how often does a star starting pitcher manage to get the save?
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
3d Studios will use BHG to create RTS/RPG versions of the internal IP 3d studio has been developing. No need to worry about more sad "Rise of" games.
Eric Hart
@thewisestfool:i see what you did there... pitching... good stuff. :)
@thewisestfool: one for each one of your dreams
jomama22
@Yossarian: Oh stop it! I'm blushing!
@RuthLoose:hahaha, you may be right. two years in a row atop the NL east, only to blow it at the 11th hour. poor poor mets fans...
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
86G - Bloody Sock
@SuperSonik: If they could just pull in Vin Diesel as creative director then this companies cool factor would be turned up to eleventy.
@Rocci1212: Wow, that's like an infinite percentage more knowledge of baseball that I would have assumed any readers on Kotaku had.
Which is not a bash, but just a misguided assumption.
Hats off to you.
@kidko:
Microsoft will probably farm RoN out to some other studio. They own the IP after all.
MooglesInMyFace
@JleeLink:
If Microsoft will let them since MS owns the RoN IP.
MooglesInMyFace
Just so you guys know, Rise of Nations is a MICROSOFT owned IP.
MooglesInMyFace
That's a lot of studios pitching in to save just one developer.
thewisestfool
Going to wail on someone if I don't see the achievement "The greatest choke".
PsycheE
@SuperSonik: I'm pulling for them. I love the Red Sox, and Curt was great, so I'd really hate to see him blow money on a project that failed.
Rockabully
Sweet! Catan and Rise of Nations have each ruled my life in their own time. Looking forward to more e-crack
@Sparx:
Can't really comment on him as a player. But, I've never cared for him.
As for the studio, I'll wait to pass judgment until they actually release something.
Great news Big Huge Games had a really cool looking Wii game in the works. Plus the PS3 and Xbox 360 game looked like it would be really fun too. So all around great news.
BlackIceJoe
@Orihalcon: I don't know about that. If Ken Rolston was excited about his new game, I'm excited too.
Brodka
@horcruxhunter:
You're both wrong.
@horcruxhunter: I thought all Mets fans killed themselves after last year. Especially after Mr. Met attempted suicide so many times on Conan O'Brien.
@undefined:
Ensemble closing was a bigger loss than Big Huge Games. RoN is ok, but was not as good as I remembered.
Rise of Legends seemed like an interesting idea, but I never played that one.
@Kenny:
Yeah agreed, but it's always nice to hear that studio has been saved instead of shutdown, no matter who that savior is.
@syafiqjabar:
Microsoft owns the Rise of Nations IP.
MooglesInMyFace
@RuthLoose: or a mets fan, dating back to the phillies days...
I'm very interested in the MMO 38 Studios is making. It's basically an MMO by an MMO player and for an MMO player. All it needed for development to start was some ridiculously rich MMO player to start a company.
RiotControl
@Sparx: And you must be a Yankees fan, I presume?
@Sparx: while i don't share swatman's tenacity, i am curious as to what about schilling you did not like, as a player that it. You should withold judgement on 38 studios til we see what they can create, just sayin...
@Orihalcon: Catan is actually based off of a tile board game called "The Settlers of Catan" Great game.
@King of Fun UK: They also helped the AoE III with the Asian expansion they did.
I agree with people here, RoN is a very good IP.
slimky
@Orihalcon: Catan is bleh? Its perhapes one of the best board games on the market right now. Big Huge did a great job bringing it to the Xbox and coding an AI that is worth its weight.
bioball
@tshack: For you Curt? 22 times.
[www.baseball-reference.com]
@Sparx:
die please
Swatman
@Orihalcon:
Rise of Nations was great as was the expansions.
Rise of Legends? Not so much...
Didn't like Schilling as a player and I like him even less as a blogger/chairman
@syafiqjabar: They did a game called Catan, which frankly is bleh...and the same goes for the collaboration they did with ensemble on AoE III. But I know some liked it, but whatever, I guess they're worth saving for RoN, stand alone.
@Kenny: The plot twist - They are all front companies of... Apple!?
Nitro378
I'm calling Rise of The Green Monster at E3 this year.
You heard it here first, folks.
@Orihalcon: I thought Rise of Nations were all they did?
There was Rise of Legends too, I guess, but that game is sort of a blast with all its craziness.
syafiqjabar
Awesome news!! Now they better get working on Rise of Nations 2!!
JleeLink
38 studios is going to blow your minds. Just watch. You put R.A. Salvatore and Todd MacFarlane in the same room as a passionate, accomplished and rich Curt Schilling (a man who loves his MMO's) and something awesome will happen. It's been all top secret for quite a while! I think you can find some concept art on their website but it's just landscapes, nothing telling about their work, specifically.
SuperSonik
It's worth saving for Rise Of Nations, otherwise, meh...
Strange how unknown dev studios are buying up well known dev studios.
"Besides, how often does a star starting pitcher manage to get the save?"
Very nice sir, Mr. Schilling would be proud of you.