Big Huge Games and 38 Studios’ 2012 action-RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has developed a devoted cult following over the years, and is now widely considered to be a largely underrated game. With its developers having gone bankrupt shortly after its release, however, hopes for the property to continue being active had been dead for a long time.

In 2018, THQ Nordic purchased rights to the IP, but noted not long afterward that the publishing rights to the first game itself still rested with EA, and that as such, a release of a remaster would be complicated. It seems, however, that the two parties have reached some sort of an agreement, because a remaster for the game has been leaked via the Microsoft Store.

Called Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, it’s being developed by Kaiko – who have previously worked on various other THQ remasters, including the Darksiders games and Red Faction: Guerrilla – and will be releasing on August 11. It promises “stunning visuals and refined gameplay” and will also include all the DLC released for the game.

Images of the remaster are also included in the game’s page on the store, which you can check out in the gallery below.

While this isn’t an official announcement, that should also be coming shortly (one would assume, at least), so stay tuned for that.

While THQ Nordic has acquired the rights to the Kingdoms of Amalur franchise, that doesn’t mean that a re-release or a remaster of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is inbound any time soon. In a statement to Eurogamer, the publisher confirmed that EA still holds the publishing rights to that game, so anything to do with it would require their express approval before THQ Nordic could proceed.

“EA still has the publishing rights to Reckoning, about any other details about the relationship between EA and 38 Studios we can’t comment,” the statement reads. “At this stage we ‘only’ acquired the intellectual property. Given our track record, we know what the burning questions (remaster, remake, port to current-gen systems etc.) are, but we decided do not answer those specifically as we tend to put our heads together first and then do our homework, and only start to talk about anything once we feel confident and very familiar with the franchise.”

To be fair, THQ Nordic have generally done right by all the properties they have acquired- for instance, they remastered the Darksiders games for current generation systems, before finally moving on to Darksiders 3 which is due out this November for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. We could, perhaps, see a similar path adopted by them for Kingdoms of Amalur.

Then again, working with EA to wrangle out the rights might be difficult enough that THQ Nordic just decides to eschew the original, and reboot the IP entirely (although at that point, you would also have to wonder why they bothered acquiring it to begin with, when they could instead just have built a new one).

For now, all of this is speculation, and all we can do is wait and see.

2012’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was an ambitious action RPG, a huge game that blended ideas from multiple games belonging to multiple genres, with a full-fledged class system to sate the hunger of RPG veterans, a winding, engaging narrative, and so much more.

It had huge talents attached to it as well, including renowned writer R.A. Salvator doing the, well, writing; Ken Rolston, former lead designer on the likes of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Oblivion taking up that same role; acclaimed composer Grant Kirkhop making the game’s music; and superstar artist Todd McFarlane handling the art. It had a lot going for it, and when it launched, it, sadly enough, didn’t do as well as perhaps it should have.

The game had its fair share of issues, sure, but underneath those issues was a real gem, a fact that a devoted base of ravenous fans proudly trumpets to this day. Sadly, we never even got a sequel, since co-developer and publisher 38 Games filed for bankruptcy not long after its launch, and that set of ravenous fans was left sorely disappointed.

If you belong to that set of fans, I’ve got good news for you- THQ Nordic have announced on their official Twitter page that they have acquired the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, “among other assets” from 38 Studios. Which is just aces in my book. Kingdoms of Amalur was a diamond in the rough, but a diamond it was, and I’m absolutely stoked that it’s – in all likeliness – coming back.

And honestly, props to THQ Nordic for all that they’ve been doing. Their library of IP – which also includes the upcoming Darksiders 3, by the way – is frankly ridiculous at this point, and if they manage it well enough, they can be an absolute powerhouse in the coming years.

Last year, THQ Nordic purchased the rights to the upcoming Biomutant, while recently they also acquired the beloved TimeSplitters IP. That’s on top of stuff like Saints Row, Metro, Red Faction, Sine Mora, and so much more. Keep up the surprisingly excellent work, THQ Nordic- you have our complete attention by this point.

We are beyond proud to announce that THQ Nordic has acquired the "Kingdoms of Amalur" IP, among other assets, from 38 Studios.#THQNordic #KingdomsofAmalur pic.twitter.com/YSnXPm7M7e

— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) September 6, 2018

Unfortunately, the $20 million in assets it had in hand weren’t enough, leading to the state of Rhode Island selling off the remaining assets and IPs, including Kingdoms of Amalur to raise money according to The Providence Journal.

Providence-based Chace Ruttenberg & Freedman LLP lawyer Richard J. Land, stated that, “Who knows what the value ultimately will be. But there is interest in the assets.”

The question: Who could possibly be interesting in picking up the IP, given the state it’s in?

The reputation of former 38 Studios owner Curt Schilling doesn’t help, as he and 13 other defendants were sued for fraud on the basis that they know the studio was failing and did nothing about it during the 2010 investment negotiations.

VG247 report that 38 Studios website is back up and running. Original noticed by RPGsite, and discovered by Bitsnark that the site contains a hidden message.

“Amid the maelstrom of recent press, we realize it’s unlikely you’re here to visit the new occupants; namely, us. Meh. Our apologies. That being said, if you’re looking for updates on the former tenants: Curt Shilling, Green Monster Games, etc. Try here. Otherwise, it’s business as usual. Please excuse the mess while we move in.”

The website has three site buttons, each button gives you three options: 38 Studios, Excuse the Mess and Relaunch.

Also, RPGsite noticed the 38 Studios website different maintenance messages pop up. The following messages were: “please excuse the mess, we’re moving in” and “relaunch”.

We believe that the site domain has been bought by someone else or this might be some sort of viral marketing. Either way, it’s nice to see 38 Studios website to see back up again in some form. We’ll keep you posted for any more updates here at GamingBolt.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is a free-to-play MMO that was launched by SOE in 2007. Danuser continues, “Our expanded design team is a great mix of veterans who’ve been around since the early days of Vanguard development, along with some, like myself, who are new to the project.

“We’re leveraging this diversity to freshen up older content while simultaneously working on brand new stuff for our veteran players. We feel improving older content is important as new players find the game for the first time, but we’re committed to providing new content to those ardent fans who have loved the game for years and continue to stand by it.”

The competitive nature of the F2P insures he’ll have to shake things up, but it’s good to see developers receiving new opportunities, despite the instability in the industry.

Known for Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine has stated that Rolston is “one of the most accomplished fantasy RPG computer and video game designers of all time, with over a decade of lead designer experience on the award-winning Elder Scrolls franchise.”

This is only a small part in a concentrated effort from Turbine to “design and deploy the next generation of online gaming.” But whichever way you cut it, Rolston is back in business, as he rightfully should be.

Source: GIBiz

Curt Schilling who founded 38 Studios has been sued for 2.4 million by Citizens Bank when he announced bankruptcy. The bank alleges that Schilling guaranteed to pay off a $2 million letter of credit and a $350,000 corporate credit card with the bank, according to WPRI via Gamasutra.

“Schilling is liable to the bank in the total amount of $2,394,240.40, plus thereafter accruing interest and late fees, costs and costs of collecting, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and expenses,” the complaint stated.

“Schilling has failed and refused, and continues to fail and refuse, to satisfy the outstanding indebtedness, and [the bank] is likely to suffer irreparable injury” if the money is not recovered.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Curt Schilling created 38 Studios, developers of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning have officially declared bankruptcy after several reports about the same. The studio has gone ahead and officially filed for bankruptcy.

Local news group WPRI says an FBI investigation about the studio’s shady and controversial pubic funding is currently underway. 38 singed up for a deal a couple years back that enabled them for a tax-payer backed loan of $75 million.

After 38 Studios laid off several people from its team a few days back, Epic Games bought their second party Big Huge Games, known for their work on the excellent Rise of Nations RTS series and for working on KOA: Reckoning.

Looks like Amalur just didn’t generate enough revenue for them. I wonder what this means for their upcoming MMO Project Copernicus.

Stay tuned for more details, we will keep you updated.

There appears to be three races in these screenshots: Almain, Dverga, and Jottun.

The studio has been in trouble because of poor performance of Kingdoms of Amalur: Recknoning and haven’t been able to play salaries of their employees.

We covered this over here, where the Rhode Island Governer revealed some details on the studio. Direct link to the full resolution and uncropped ones can be found here.

The member named as AlynShir wrote that, “Amalur is worth fighting for. Spread the fire.” I personally think these screenshots look amazing.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.