It's always a tragedy to see a game studio fall because it's fairly good game couldn't keep up in sales with the million dollar studios that crank out the same dull shit on an annual basis. Even though Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was a lot of fun, well reviewed, and saved orphans from a burning building, it didn't make a huge splash financially and is why the developers, 38 Studios and Big Huge Games, are now auctioning off their assets on December 11. Truly a sad day for game developers everywhere...

That is until in a recent press release HGP Executive Vice President Nick Jimenez revealed that the firm had discovered a  "completed, but unreleased game" for Mac that was titled Rise of Nations: Tactics. Originally, the auction date was set for the 14-15 of November, but was then postponed by the request of Richard J. Land earlier this month. The delay was caused by  "a very strong response from interested potential buyers —including leading domestic and international game development interests.", after the recent press release.

Anyone with enough money to pay for a hotly desired IP has until December 4 to submit their initial bids on property rights to the Amalur universe, Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends, the assets to Project Copernicus, the sequel and merchandising rights to 38 Studios' only shipped game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and technology developed at the studios, including the Big Huge Games Engine and a social media platform called Helios.

Although the tragedy of seeing game studios that can generate good games is a sizable one, there is still some positive to this. The fact that the date of the auction was delayed because of such a massive interest in the properties does imply that some studios will likely pick up these franchises, and then continue them where 38 Studios and Big Huge Games left off. That and Rise of Nations: Tactics existence cause me to believe that these games are far from dead. Hopefully whoever buys the IP's at the auction will be the kind of developer that can expand upon the Kingdoms of Amalur and Rise of Nations franchises, and not run them into the ground with terrible sequels - or worse, shameless, money printing, remakes.