Ghost of Tsushima

The initial skirmish between the Samurai clans and Mongol army doesn’t really go well with pretty much everyone killed, save for Jin’s uncle Lord Shimura. Jin himself would have been a goner if not for Yuuna. And while he doesn’t necessarily wallop Khotun Khan in their first encounter, it does mark the beginning of his terrifying reign as the Ghost.

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.

Twinmold – The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Imposing enough initially, Twinmold in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the Nintendo 64 isn’t really all that terrifying when Link himself turns into a giant. Hilariously enough, Twinmold doesn’t even attack and damaging its weak points is all that’s required. Majora’s Mask 3D does up the danger by having Twinmold actually attack Link and this becomes a proper boss fight as a result.

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

However, not all games or even new IPs are the subject of great commercial success. Some of them may have scored very well commercially but added that extra zing to really win consumers over. Some of them were disappointing and didn’t live up to the hype. Some, however, were just criminally over-looked.

Here’s out top 10 games that no one played last generation. If you did experience these titles, and wonder why they’re here, then remember that they didn’t (probably) receive even half as much acclaim or attention as they might’ve warranted.

1. Asura’s Wrath

The adventures of Asura were a rather quirky affair. You switched between the third person perspective and executed several quick time events, with the story being broken up into episodes with openings and credits, and each episodes consisting of several short parts to play.

It was odd, for sure, and the style of gameplay wasn’t for everyone as some critics sounded off on the excessive use of QTEs. Nonetheless, as a game, it’s unique and worth a go.

2. Binary Domain

Sega’s Yakuza Team decided to do something different this time around with the typical third person shooter. They wanted to make a cooperative experience but with the game’s AI, allowing players to use headsets to issue commands to their squad-mates in game.

A Consequences system that made you think and consider your actions to win over your team-mates also broke away from the typical run, gun and cover mechanics of most other TPS games. And it didn’t hurt that this one had its fair share of addictive action. Sadly, it only sold about 20,000 copies in its first month of release and has since sunk into oblivion.

3. Warhawk

The multiplayer only release from Incognito Entertainment and SCE Santa Monica Studio focused on aerial combat and warfare, and was actually a remake of the same game from the PlayStation days (despite having nothing in common with that game).

Warhawk came off as an addictive, action-packed title that was one of the better initial releases on the PlayStation 3. For some reason, it never received the same amount of commercial acclaim as more mainstream PS3 titles. Nonetheless, it holds a special place for many, 6 years on.

4. Blue Dragon

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s first project since leaving Square Enix introduced an intriguing concept of shadow beasts. However, it flailed hopelessly with its rote gameplay, boring characters and less than stellar visuals. It didn’t help that the project took so long to release, or that it saw decent sales only in Japan.

While the game wasn’t a total failure, it lacked the spark of the Final Fantasy series (well, before XIII came around) and certainly wasn’t worthy of even half their recognition. At least it inspired a half decent manga with Ral Grad though.

5. Lock’s Quest

5th Cell’s Lock’s Quest brought tower defence gaming to the Nintendo DS in an under-stated but nonetheless big way. It allowed for attacking with your main character while building towers to defend, and integrated an RPG like campaign and story.

The overall gameplay was almost deceptively complex and featured some of the most challenging levels possible. Sadly enough, it won its fair share of Best Game No One Ever Played awards when it released in 2008 for the DS, and hasn’t popped up in public memory since.

6. Dark Void Zero

Even though the reboot for the game on consoles was a bust, Dark Void Zero, the follow-up to the game which released on PC, DSiWare and iPhone, was an excellent return to the series NES roots.

It’s amazing that the game started off as a joke but then quickly materialized into one of the better action platforming experiences ever made. What’s not funny is that hardly anyone has bothered to play it.

7. Infinite Undiscovery

For all the bitching we do about Square Enix and the rut they’re in with Final Fantasy XIII, we fail to give credit for games where they truly attempt something new and different. What if you played an RPG where things weren’t scripted? Where everything happened in real-time? Where you could just be sitting around and bam, plot device? That was the logic behind tri-Ace’s Infinite Undiscovery.

It took advantage of its real time settings to allow gamers variety in how they approach different missions, and you could even manage large missions with entire teams of party members. Sadly, the game only barely broke through a half million units sold on launch. The exclusivity to Xbox 360 didn’t help matters either.

8. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

This is the game that featured both R.A. Salvatore of the Forgotten Realms fame as writer and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane for artwork. This was supposed to be the next big action RPG. However, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning only ended up being a tremendous disaster, with Big Huge Games and 38 Studios shutting shop.

38 Studios is currently involved in a legal tussle with the state of Rhode Island over the same issue, following which the Kingdoms of Amalur IP was sold off. And to think that it released to a strong critical reaction.

9. Lost Odyssey

Another attempt by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Mistwalker at an exclusive JRPG on the Xbox 360, only this time with more mature characters and story-telling and far better visuals. Despite the significant leap over Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey just never caught on.

Delays and other issues such as limited marketing – which isn’t quite what a title from the creator of Final Fantasy should have – ensured that the game only sold a few hundred thousand copies since its launch.

10. Folklore

Yet another failed action RPG from Japan from Game Republic, Folklore could easily be one of the few games on the PS3 to make decent use of the SixAxis controller to reel in “folk” for one’s use.

The game’s eschewing of epic story-telling in favour of a fantasy-mystery and use of famous folklore characters – not to mention the vivid art style – helped set it apart from the pack. The poor sales of the game caused developer Game Republic to shut down, with plans for a sequel left to be forgotten.

What are your thoughts? Any particular game you played last generation that didn’t receive enough love? Let us know in the comments below.

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.

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.

He revealed that the meeting was regarding staff payroll and layoffs at the studio.

“I believe it was a mix of who’s made payroll and a number of layoffs,” he said.

“I know that the tax payers want answers, and they’ll get them overtime. All I can promise is that we’re working hard to protect every penny of the investment that was made.”

Curt Shilling, who is the founder of the studio said that they were not asking for tax payers money. “We’re not asking the taxpayers,” he said.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Thanks, Polygon.