The tale of troubled 38 Studios continues, as the game maker laid off roughly 300 employees recently. These layoffs have triggered investigations, as they came without warning or notice, which is a violation of law. The issue of what happened to the 75-million which the state of Rhode Island loaned the company is also on the table. While 38 Studio’s only game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, is doing well enough for a first-time project, the real troubles seem to center around their second game. Although details are scarce, this game, codenamed Project Copernicus, looks to be an MMO that has drained the company of all its resources. USA Today has the story.
Minor success and major ambition make for a dangerous combination. It’s a shame to see a studio that had such potential go down to bad management.