Midway: Newcastle Shut Down, Entire Staff Laid Off

@MrBionic: Well, they wouldn't have bothered to get the other non-Mortal Kombat IP's if they had no interest in them...

twinturbo2

On the one hand, I hope these guys get back on their feet soon with a new job.

On the other hand, these guys made LA Rush, which was one missed opportunity after another. Hopefully, once they get a new job, they won't go on to make another desecration of a classic IP...

twinturbo2

@Avinant: Westwood lives on in spirit over at Petroglyph Studios. A bunch of old Westwood people are there doing great things.

@KillerBee: Nox was one of my favorite games from back then. My brother and I would always play it online after demolishing the campaigns. Good times. I hope the best for you and the rest of the developers from Westwood.

Oi shit I think my friend worked there. Do hope hes doing ok if so.

@KillerBee:
I'll never forgive myself for not taking the opportunity to do QA testing there in what turned out to be their last years. Everyone I knew (indirectly, really) who worked there had nothing but good things to say. Even contractors.

@KillerBee: Hey, I play tested for Westwood when you guys were still in Vegas at Smoke Ranch/Teneya! I miss you guys. T_T

@Kynes: I was at Vegas. I got my last Westwood paycheck in March of 2003, so it was still around, but I think my last actual work day at Westwood was in February 2003.

Irvin was turned into EA Pacific long before Westwood was shuttered.

Working at Westwood was amazing. I remember going in for my first interview and being awestruck by the place. I was a HUGE Westwood fan from way back in the Eye of the Beholder days. I'll never forget, after just a few days of starting there, I walked past Joe Kucan (a.k.a. Kane) and I just stopped in my tracks with my mouth hanging open. I had no idea he worked there. He invited me to play poker with him in the lunch room. That was a good day.

@KillerBee:
Since you've opened the Pandora's Box by answering questions about Westwood, were you in Irvine or Vegas? I'm not even sure if the Vegas studio was still around in 2003, but I think it was.

Also, how awesome was Westwood in it's heyday? You don't have to answer that, it was rhetorical. I loved the C&C, Dune and E&B games. You should be proud.

@dansyndrome: It's a really tough situation and I feel bad for people on both sides. Shaun Himmerick, a guy I knew well from Chicago, had moved to Newcastle to run a project there so he's probably out of a job, and I know Matt pretty well from working on two projects for him, so I can't consider him a villain.

Days like this are just all kinds of no fun.

grahamwest

I worked with the lads in Gateshead before, nice crew. Sad that this had to happen, but honestly, anyone still left working for the big red M totally and completely saw this one coming. Had to have.

@Norellicus: Thanks. Working at Westwood was an awesome experience.

@Hardcore: I actually starred in the cutscenes for Emperor. I am the short Guild guard on the left starting at about 10 seconds in.

@KillerBee: I knew their was a reason I liked you!

KaneTaker

Sad to see them without work, especially those that have been slaving away on something that gets shut down no matter how far along it is. I hope Necessary Force finds a buyer, I really did love the art style and characters from what little was seen so far.

Mykalwane

@KillerBee: Awesome. Emperor, Nox, and Earth and Beyond were great titles. Thanks for your contributions!

Hardcore

@Celestial Panda: It's owned by Carlsberg and Heineken so it'll prob survive.

Makker4

@MrBionic: I'm still waiting for that awesome DS remake one with mic support... *sighs dreamily* http://ds.ign.com/articles/864/864730p1.html

@MrBionic: If they would have made another Mortal Kombat that was actually playable I would have cared more. I still have fond memories of Shao Kahn & Goro violating the Midway logo. "You weak pathetic fool!"

biggerx

As someone who has been out of "real" work for 11 months, and instead has been slaving away in retail for 30% of what I made before, hearing about any layoffs leaves me with a huge pit in my stomach. But hearing about 80 simultaneous ones from a whole office going down?

If any of the guys and gals from the office is on here today, stay strong- its a pain in the ass, and there are times it seems like you are going to be out of work for the rest of your life, but you'll get through it. All any of us can do at this point is find something to barely pay the bills, and hope the hiring push starts in spring with some actual economic recovery.

@KillerBee: I tip my hat to you sir, for being a part of such a prestigious era of gaming and becoming a proverbial casualty of the aftermath :(

Norellicus

Give Zenimax/Bethesda Softworks Gauntlet.

Please?

Gauntlet with Oblivion like grinding would be amazing. :]

@Hardcore: Nox, Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge, Emperor: Battle for Dune, Renegade, Earth and Beyond.

Also worked on numerous patches and compilations.

@KillerBee: Sad to hear it. What titles did you work on with Westwood? They made some of my favorite games.

Hardcore

@TaggarT6: Marvin the Martian vs. Jax? hell yea!

@Celestial Panda: Thank god! Mmm... Newcy Brown...

Whats not mentioned, is that Midway Newcastle was made insolvent and a day before payday, meaning staff get nothing and are owed wages, holiday pay etc.

This will be claimed back through the UK government but at a reduced rate.

smudge40

Westwood closing was a hard time for me too. Westwood and Microprose were companies I would buy any games from. Dune II stole lots of days from me...

MurdockAgrippa

@phicaluk: Newcastle Brown? I'm not a beer drinker but I think it's still doing okay for itself.

@rabbibert: Well, yes, but can't I dream about there being a mass IP fire-sale?

@MrBionic: Warner Bros. owns that IP now. So Bioware has no chance to get it unless WB decides to sell it.

rabbibert

Heart-breaking stuff. It's terrible when this stuff happens. Hopefully there are other dev-houses in and around Newcastle that are looking to pick up some new staff.

sits

I want Bioware to get the Gauntlet IP.

It's the only Midway IP I care about, and I'm the only person left alive that cares about it. lol

I suggest a two-for-one deal: buy Midway Newcastle, get Newcastle United FC free. Seriously, is there anything in Newcastle that isn't failing and being put up for sale? Tell me that Viz is still OK, at least.

@TaggarT6: Excuse the poor spelling I was unable to edit in time.

@dansyndrome: I dont think the arcade scene will ever be as glorious as it once was. Arcades which havent been closed down are in the process of doing so.

I remember a trip to the local arcade a few months ago. It was filled with people playing games with fellow strangers and having a good time and when I went the next day, it was a shoe store! Women already have enough stores to buy from in the city. Sheesh.

Wanna know whats sadder then this? It sthe realization that now WB owns Midway we'll see even more video game movie ips in the near future while the quality of Midway games decrease further.

Any beats on when we get Mk vs Loony Tunes?

@Save me: I worked at Timegate for a while, but got out of gaming for normal hours and a real paycheck.

@Save me:
Don't worry, the Midway we know and love is still just fine, except they're an AOL Time Warner company or whatever now.

Midway Newcastle wasn't that important. In fact all it was was a ghetto studio picked up by Midway on the cheap in 2005. Cutting it out was probably the right thing to do.

@KillerBee: Oh. So what have you been up to?

@Save me: 2003

@KillerBee: I read about Westwood closing down but I cant remember when. Was it last year?

Oh I'm sure they'll find new work soon.
How could a developer not want to snatch up all that Midway Newcastle Wheelman-makin' talent.

There will possibly be more casualties from the Warner Bros. buyout in the future. I'm not surprised at the events.

@Save me:
Cheers on that. So many memories!

Maybe if there is a god out there, we will have some kind of arcade revival in the US, and Midway can churn out some cabs. They made some pinball jammers too!

I hate to hear developers shutting down. I was at Westwood when EA closed us and it was rough.

I hope someone picks up the studio or that those people laid off get jobs. Wheelman wasn't that great at all, but it had its moments.

Poor guys...News like this really gets me down.

However, I bet Midway CEO "Matt Booty" doesn't let anything get in his way!

What a fantastic name!

Seriously though, best of luck to all of those let go.

May the winds of change blow your way, and not lead you to iPhone game devs.

Even though their current games are less than stellar, but Midway's MK was a staple of my childhood. It spawned the ESRB dammit and to this day, I'm convinced the first MK movie was the best Hollywood adaptation ever made. What about the arcade gauntlet series? Didn't they make that quarter guzzler too? Good times man.

After saying such things, I am sad to see their studios being offed one by one. I realize their games would still be around carrying forth the company name in one way or another, but it wouldn't be the Midway that I once knew.

Question about that Necessary Force trailer: I'm getting the feeling that none of that was in-game. Are my suspicions correct?

Apologies and best wishes to all those involved. :(