Final paychecks are now being sent to Kingdoms of Amalur staff members, nine years after developer 38 Studios was shut down.
Company mismanagement and poor sales of the ambitious RPG meant 38 Studios collapsed shortly after it became clear Kingdoms of Amalur was not going to be a World of Warcraft-style hit.
This left nearly 400 developers adrift, and waiting for their final paycheck – until now. A new report from Bloomberg [paywall] states staff are now belatedly receiving their last pay packet – albeit just a fraction of what they were owed (thanks GamesIndustry.biz).
38 Studios staff based in Rhode Island allegedly receive just 14 percent of their final earnings. Those based in Maryland get 20 percent.
Another added wrinkle? Employees are being contacted about the money via their addresses at the time – many of which are now outdated, as staff have relocated to other jobs since.
Kingdoms of Amalur was famously pitched as the entry point into a new fantasy world – one created by author R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane and Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. There were plans for a World of Warcraft-scale MMO, to which Reckoning (and a proposed sequel) would simply be the prologue.