I don't think anyone could claim the Chaffee is fully responsible for the collapse of the company, but it's pretty clear that he has sabotaged them publicly to make sure that they went under. That much was obvious almost from the beginning.

It certainly doesn't look to me like Rhode Island is at fault, based on what I've seen at this point, even if Chaffee was clearly antagonistic towards them. I mean, the company borrowed a lot of money. They made a really expensive game that didn't sell well enough to make back its costs, and were gearing up to make at least one, maybe two more really expensive games on top of that. While not being able to pay their employees. Or the mortgages they assumed from those employees when they took them on in the first place.

I'm not a businessman, but it is my understanding that throwing money at a failing business does not, of its own accord, make a non-failing business. And as much as I like some elements of KoA: Reckoning, there's no reason that game deserved to sell as many copies as they apparently needed to sell to make back their costs. I'm surprised it sold as well as it did, actually.

Because he wanted nothing more than to have a huge owed debt in his political history?

The way I read things, Chafee saw the writing on the wall and believed the studio was going down no matter what anyone did, and tried to distance himself as much as possible from something that hadn't been his decision in the first place.

Not a saint, but from what I've seen not the villain either.

Yeah. That is a sizable debt for a small state at a shitty time in the economy. If he doesn't paint broad strokes to separate himself from them he'd have a rough time in terms of political opposition. This kind of thing gets remembered.

Maybe they still would have collapsed in July or just maybe them motherfuckers could of got shit back on track. Who knows though. Well like Schilling said, he thought he was close to a deal to get an infusion of cash for a sequel to KoA. So maybe going along with deferring for a month wouldn't have been the end of days. Maybe not taking the tax cuts off the table to a company that's about to die. Making it work out didn't seem to be like something he was interested in.

Giving them more money? Fuck naw. But he almost got tough to the point where he steered them right into an iceberg.


Shit's happened. How this doesn't hang on his neck regardless would shock me. Wouldn't be the first time someone suffered from the sins of others.

Seems more like he wants to point out the mistakes of his predecessor, and say "I told you so."

I'm no fan of Chafee, but to pin the publisher pulling out on Chafee's comments is fucking pathetic.

How 'bout the fact that you are out of money and your MMO is a year away from being done? Since THAT TOO is common knowledge, are you gonna pin the blame on your goddamned accountant for being honest?

Schilling, you've always been a tool, and now you're a lying tool. Your company was screwed since the day you founded it, you just managed to use your stardom to bilk sucker after sucker into trusting you.

Hell - as far as I can tell from stuff so far is the reason Schilling went for public money anyway was because venture capitalists won't give him any - BECAUSE THE WEREN'T STUPID. Chaffee might have put the nail in the coffin, but it was a long road of incompetent decisions on just about everybody else involved - especially Schilling. Schilling and his cronies need to stop pointing fingers.

I know it's a really really dead horse I'm beating, but seriously, any publisher who is paying attention isn't gonna fund a sequel to Amalur at this point because they know their money isn't going to be spent on Amalur 2, that money will get sucked into the black hole that is Copernicus. It's good money after bad, and a surefire way to lose $35 million dollars.

38 Studios was/is mismanaged. There can be absolutely no doubt on this.

Chafee's comments certainly did not help, but I'm pretty sure the fact that you couldn't pay your employees was THE BIGGEST FUCKING RED FLAG IMAGINABLE to any Amalur 2 investors.

Wasn't shit to pay attention to until it was taken to the streets. I think both RI (people who made this deal) and Schilling are stupid as heck. I do add Chafee to because he came out villainous. He didn't try to make this work at all.

Like Doctor said, they go down now or July. But what if they hadn't been shamed in the media? Got some money to do a sequel. Keep the company a float. Thing is would a month defferal had hurt them RI any more? Would letting them keep the tax benefits been so bad? Damn giving them more money.

But would the money go to a sequel? How long could 35 mil keep the doors open with loan payments, mortgage payments, and employee salaries?

The publisher would be out that cash and we'd be at this same situation months later with no gain

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2

Didn't they only get $44M of the $75M? Look how long that lasted them. Would have been long enough for them to make a bigger followup. And if they had a window for completing that turd (MMO) and getting that anchor from around they neck this year; Even better. Hell, during the period they could have off loaded some more house. Shit sell them fuckers at a loss if need be but holding on to mortgages monthly? Fuck that. Fire sale them hoes.

But who the fuck knows if EA was going to give them assholes $35M for a sequel. You know, Schilling could of been talking out his ass. Hell, if you this bad off, a deal like that should of been done business. Why the fuck he ain't come out his pocket for a month or two if he all close. It's your baby. You don't let your baby die over this bullshit. I don't doubt he fucked up. I don't doubt all of 38 studios fucked up. (Execs, not devs just working)

I'm just saying them hoes COULD have pulled off a 2012. Remember in the movie, if you were unfortunate enough to watch it, they like nose dived about 10 times only to pull up in time? I'm saying Chafee walked up to the pilot and put a bullet in his head because he thought the pilot was a stupid. Pilot was stupid but still. He wanted to distance himself from the pilot. Yeah, but instead of the folks at the company having another month or so of paychecks you doomed everyone. Even the village at the bottom of the cliff under the make shift runway.

Hi guys,
Just thought I'd let you know I'm a veteran east coast game developer with a number of close friends that worked at 38. So far I haven't found any of the claims that the mortgage payment thing is true. I do know 38 helped with mortgage assistance and some of my friends that took it are not on the hook for that mortgage.
Unless I hear otherwise I wouldn't take much truth in that claim for now.
That's all for now:)
Peace!
B

p.s. First post!!

OMG IT'S CURT SCHILLING

...well. In any case, that's good to hear.

Thank you for the clarification, parnell.

... And Welcome to Colony of Gamers!

I found the mortgage thing strange anyway. There should have been no surprise if their houses were sold or not, because they would have been given the money for them. (unless I am missing something)

Also I just wanted to echo that the comments causing them to lose a publisher is crap. If that would have kept them open, the money for Amular 2 would have been funneled off elsewhere. I'm pretty sure that would be fraud.

Why does everyone assume the money wouldn't have went towards the game at all? Also again, last I heard they got only got $44M of the $75M from RI. If that kept them going 2 years, $35M would of done just as nicely.

Add $50mil of Curt Schilling's own money to that total.

I am not sure how much Kurt Schilling invested - at least $35 million from a somewhat reliable source. I have heard various other numbers bandied around including the $50 million. Also, there is a rumor that EA paid a considerable number of bucks for KoA development which is one reason there was limited cashflow back to the studio for that property.