7 ms·

High-risk video game venture has Rhode Island, Curt Schilling reeling

47 points by olegious 14y ago

danso 14y ago
Well, at least he knows how to capture the Zeitgeist: http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/18/facebook-curt-schilling-denies-paid-himself-back-with-money-thanks-supporters-ailing-studios-video-game-company/EnqdY2flmq0Bf55m4YvdRM/story.html http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/18/facebook-curt-sch... >Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling used his Facebook page to make his first public comments since the news that his Providence video game company, 38 Studios, would be unable to make payroll this week.
- ricree 14y ago
  Is there any word on what the game's development costs were? I was under the impression that it sold reasonably well, if not spectacularly so.
  - cpeterso 14y ago
    Considering they have been working on the Copernicus MMO since 2006 and Kingdoms of Amalur in parallel, they have probably burned through a lot of money. Copernicus sounds cool, but I fear it will be another Daikatana.
    - mariusmg 14y ago
      Amalur was done by a different studio (Big Huge Games) which they acquired 2 years ago. 38 Studio are working on a MMO for 6 years and nothing to show...
      - cpeterso 14y ago
        Convenient timing: 38 Studio just revealed their first video of Project Copernicus content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U
    - joshu 14y ago
      I got the sense that Amalur was an acquisition from reading Wikipedia.
      - psykotic 14y ago
        The game that became Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur was an acquisition via Big Huge Games. It was retrofitted with the Amalur world, which was originally developed for Project Copernicus, which is the original MMORPG being developed in Rhode Island. At least that's my understanding.
    - mbowcock 14y ago
      My understanding is Kingdoms of Amalur was work in progress at Big Huge Games, 38 Studios acquired them and they modded the game to fit the world of Amalur. Which is supposed to tie into their next game.
    - maybird 14y ago
      Worse than Daikatana, would be another APB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APB:_All_Points_Bulletin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APB:_All_Points_Bulletin Development costs were in excess of $100 million.
debacle 14y ago
Economic development agencies are, in my opinion, a terrible idea. If the people deciding where the money should go had any ability at all, they would be working in private investment. Instead, what you have are politically motivated nit-wits spending someone else's money on pipe dreams. Locally, we have IDAs (industrial development associations) who are allocating county grants to local organizations that aren't going to create value on the order of what the grants presuppose. This is a gross malappropriation of taxpayer money. With regards to Curt Schilling, you can't blame the guy. He's personally wealthy and wanted to make an MMO. That's the dream of almost any gamer out there, and Rhode Island was foolish enough to not do due diligence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdoms_of_Amalur:_Reckoning#Reception http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdoms_of_Amalur:_Reckoning#R... If you look at the lineup, you have RA Salvatore, Todd MacFarlane, and Grant Kirkhope (the guy who wrote the score to Golden Eye and Perfect Dark). I haven't played the game itself, but anecdotally I've heard it's a great game but with a niche audience. You can create a successful game studio on that, but you can't create a billion dollar company.
- twelvechairs 14y ago
  There is a purpose for development agencies, but yes, it is not this. Development agencies are effective when they direct money towards projects that have a definite positive impact on a broad variety of businesses within a specific geographic area, but are not seen as attractive to private investors (often because they tend to recoup costs slowly over the long term). Mostly this is real physical infrastructure (roads, ports, power, etc.). When development agencies start being seen as a funding source for businesses that should be able to stand on their own (as in this case) and provide little more knock-on-benefit to the local area than any other businesses of comparable size, then you know that you are in trouble.
- rprospero 14y ago
  > If the people deciding where the money should go had any ability at all, they would be working in private investment. Just curious: do you think that economic development agencies would be improved if governments were willing to pay salaries equivalent to private investment firms, thus attracting better talent?
bhickey 14y ago
The deal was pushed through by the former Governor Don Carcieri while he was a lame duck. The incoming governor, Chafee, tried unsuccessfully to block the transaction. Meanwhile the legislature was bamboozled into increasing the EDC's development pie by exactly the amount given to Schilling. Topping it off, Schilling is anti-government in his political disposition -- arguing for personal responsibility and hard work. Today 38 Studios failed to make payroll. When the dust settles I wouldn't be shocked to see some indictments come down.
Steko 14y ago
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/17/curt-schilling-cash-and-credibility-crisis/KQPwPrKHUD4zJoTdT51C2I/story.html http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/17/curt-schillin... Schilling is a self-described conservative with a disdain for big government, which he considers intrusive and overbearing. He is a big believer in people helping themselves and solving their own problems. A couple of lines from an old post on Schilling’s blog, 38 pitches, sums it up: “If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. “A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.” Now Schilling is back with his hand out at a time when Rhode Island is dealing with double-digit unemployment and an economy so bad that many of its communities are in grave financial trouble. State officials are facing bigger problems than Schilling’s 38 Studios. Christ what an asshole.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
Impossible 14y ago
Teaser trailer of the game available here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U&feature=youtu... Disclaimer: I'm an employee.
- cobrausn 14y ago
  Lot of time and effort has obviously gone into it. Hope you guys get paid for your efforts.
- cma 14y ago
  Haha I like the Atlas Shrugged guy holding up the pillar--nice touch from a bunch of moochers.
aresant 14y ago
Democrats created the pool of "job creation" money and their Republican governor earmarked it for an idiotic venture. And yet, I keep hearing in this year's campaign messaging that "bipartisanship" and "bringing the parties together" is what the future of our government needs.
mkramlich 14y ago
To Curt's credit he does/did own/run a board game company called Multi-Man Publishing which was responsible for reviving Advanced Squad Leader, considered by many to be a classic wargame. It's original owner was Avalon Hill which ultimately got bought by Hasborg where it languished before MMP licensed it. One of the really smart things MMP has done with ASL is create a series of very simple introductory subsets of ASL called Starter Kits. Many people love ASL but one of it's biggest flaws is that the total rules set is so large and complex, accumulated over many years, that historically it was very intimidating for potential new players. I don't think Curt directly designed the Starter Kits, but the fact that he was an owner and allowed and encouraged an environment and management team to do that, is a big positive mark in my book. But yeah, from the sound of the article, the way they went about trying to start that video game company was completely misguided. Backwards. Cart before the horse. They should have started small and scrappy, with a polished game prototype, with a real game designer behind it, that real users love on a small scale with modest placeholder graphics. Then incrementally flesh it out. Game industry is very much a hits-based market, with lots of fickle consumers. And very few of the people "designing" games are true game designers.

47 points by olegious 14y ago

danso 14y ago

Well, at least he knows how to capture the Zeitgeist: http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/18/facebook-curt-schilling-denies-paid-himself-back-with-money-thanks-supporters-ailing-studios-video-game-company/EnqdY2flmq0Bf55m4YvdRM/story.html http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/18/facebook-curt-sch... >Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling used his Facebook page to make his first public comments since the news that his Providence video game company, 38 Studios, would be unable to make payroll this week.

ricree 14y ago
Is there any word on what the game's development costs were? I was under the impression that it sold reasonably well, if not spectacularly so.
- cpeterso 14y ago
  Considering they have been working on the Copernicus MMO since 2006 and Kingdoms of Amalur in parallel, they have probably burned through a lot of money. Copernicus sounds cool, but I fear it will be another Daikatana.
  - mariusmg 14y ago
    Amalur was done by a different studio (Big Huge Games) which they acquired 2 years ago. 38 Studio are working on a MMO for 6 years and nothing to show...
    - cpeterso 14y ago
      Convenient timing: 38 Studio just revealed their first video of Project Copernicus content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U
  - joshu 14y ago
    I got the sense that Amalur was an acquisition from reading Wikipedia.
    - psykotic 14y ago
      The game that became Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur was an acquisition via Big Huge Games. It was retrofitted with the Amalur world, which was originally developed for Project Copernicus, which is the original MMORPG being developed in Rhode Island. At least that's my understanding.
  - mbowcock 14y ago
    My understanding is Kingdoms of Amalur was work in progress at Big Huge Games, 38 Studios acquired them and they modded the game to fit the world of Amalur. Which is supposed to tie into their next game.
  - maybird 14y ago
    Worse than Daikatana, would be another APB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APB:_All_Points_Bulletin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APB:_All_Points_Bulletin Development costs were in excess of $100 million.

debacle 14y ago

Economic development agencies are, in my opinion, a terrible idea. If the people deciding where the money should go had any ability at all, they would be working in private investment. Instead, what you have are politically motivated nit-wits spending someone else's money on pipe dreams. Locally, we have IDAs (industrial development associations) who are allocating county grants to local organizations that aren't going to create value on the order of what the grants presuppose. This is a gross malappropriation of taxpayer money. With regards to Curt Schilling, you can't blame the guy. He's personally wealthy and wanted to make an MMO. That's the dream of almost any gamer out there, and Rhode Island was foolish enough to not do due diligence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdoms_of_Amalur:_Reckoning#Reception http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdoms_of_Amalur:_Reckoning#R... If you look at the lineup, you have RA Salvatore, Todd MacFarlane, and Grant Kirkhope (the guy who wrote the score to Golden Eye and Perfect Dark). I haven't played the game itself, but anecdotally I've heard it's a great game but with a niche audience. You can create a successful game studio on that, but you can't create a billion dollar company.

twelvechairs 14y ago
There is a purpose for development agencies, but yes, it is not this. Development agencies are effective when they direct money towards projects that have a definite positive impact on a broad variety of businesses within a specific geographic area, but are not seen as attractive to private investors (often because they tend to recoup costs slowly over the long term). Mostly this is real physical infrastructure (roads, ports, power, etc.). When development agencies start being seen as a funding source for businesses that should be able to stand on their own (as in this case) and provide little more knock-on-benefit to the local area than any other businesses of comparable size, then you know that you are in trouble.
rprospero 14y ago
> If the people deciding where the money should go had any ability at all, they would be working in private investment. Just curious: do you think that economic development agencies would be improved if governments were willing to pay salaries equivalent to private investment firms, thus attracting better talent?

bhickey 14y ago

The deal was pushed through by the former Governor Don Carcieri while he was a lame duck. The incoming governor, Chafee, tried unsuccessfully to block the transaction. Meanwhile the legislature was bamboozled into increasing the EDC's development pie by exactly the amount given to Schilling. Topping it off, Schilling is anti-government in his political disposition -- arguing for personal responsibility and hard work. Today 38 Studios failed to make payroll. When the dust settles I wouldn't be shocked to see some indictments come down.

Steko 14y ago

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/17/curt-schilling-cash-and-credibility-crisis/KQPwPrKHUD4zJoTdT51C2I/story.html http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/17/curt-schillin... Schilling is a self-described conservative with a disdain for big government, which he considers intrusive and overbearing. He is a big believer in people helping themselves and solving their own problems. A couple of lines from an old post on Schilling’s blog, 38 pitches, sums it up: “If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. “A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.” Now Schilling is back with his hand out at a time when Rhode Island is dealing with double-digit unemployment and an economy so bad that many of its communities are in grave financial trouble. State officials are facing bigger problems than Schilling’s 38 Studios. Christ what an asshole.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

Impossible 14y ago

Teaser trailer of the game available here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nvnrP0j8U&feature=youtu... Disclaimer: I'm an employee.

cobrausn 14y ago
Lot of time and effort has obviously gone into it. Hope you guys get paid for your efforts.
cma 14y ago
Haha I like the Atlas Shrugged guy holding up the pillar--nice touch from a bunch of moochers.

aresant 14y ago

Democrats created the pool of "job creation" money and their Republican governor earmarked it for an idiotic venture. And yet, I keep hearing in this year's campaign messaging that "bipartisanship" and "bringing the parties together" is what the future of our government needs.

mkramlich 14y ago

To Curt's credit he does/did own/run a board game company called Multi-Man Publishing which was responsible for reviving Advanced Squad Leader, considered by many to be a classic wargame. It's original owner was Avalon Hill which ultimately got bought by Hasborg where it languished before MMP licensed it. One of the really smart things MMP has done with ASL is create a series of very simple introductory subsets of ASL called Starter Kits. Many people love ASL but one of it's biggest flaws is that the total rules set is so large and complex, accumulated over many years, that historically it was very intimidating for potential new players. I don't think Curt directly designed the Starter Kits, but the fact that he was an owner and allowed and encouraged an environment and management team to do that, is a big positive mark in my book. But yeah, from the sound of the article, the way they went about trying to start that video game company was completely misguided. Backwards. Cart before the horse. They should have started small and scrappy, with a polished game prototype, with a real game designer behind it, that real users love on a small scale with modest placeholder graphics. Then incrementally flesh it out. Game industry is very much a hits-based market, with lots of fickle consumers. And very few of the people "designing" games are true game designers.