Update: R.I.P. Midway Games (The Name, Anyway)
After more than 50 years of operating under the title Midway, the troubled Mortal Kombat developer will officially adopt a Warner Bros. name this coming Monday.
The months-log saga of the trials and tribulations of Mortal Kombat parent Midway Games may finally be coming to an end. After nearly going bankrupt, legal [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89814-Midway-to-Sell-Off-Mortal-Kombat] difficulties, and every other problem imaginable under the sun, Midway finally found salvation under the wing of media giant Warner Bros.
That salvation, though, comes at a price - this coming Monday, Lo [http://www.trmk.org/news/12662/rip_midway_games_19582009_in_name_only.html].
On Monday the 13th, Midway will officially adopt a name that puts it under Warner Bros. umbrella - TRMK speculates that they'll adapt something related to the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment [http://www.wbie.com/] name, which does probably seem like the best bet at the moment.
Work on Mortal Kombat 9 (and any other titles in production) should not be affected as the only reported change is the title of the company. Even so, Midway was a huge name in the business in the mid-90s MK heyday, so ... well, it feels a bit strange, doesn't it? "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Update: Well, maybe not. Midway's Geoff Mogilner told Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/amid-midway-warner-bros-transition-midway-name-up-in-the-air/] that the matter was far from clear-cut. "The name and the mark are owned by Warner Bros. and it is up to them to figure out the branding strategy," he said. "[WB] bought the assets and the trademark and all the copyrights and the logo and all that ... to say the name is dead, it's silly but, ya know, it's premature -- the company Midway Games, Inc. still exists."
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After more than 50 years of operating under the title Midway, the troubled Mortal Kombat developer will officially adopt a Warner Bros. name this coming Monday.
The months-log saga of the trials and tribulations of Mortal Kombat parent Midway Games may finally be coming to an end. After nearly going bankrupt, legal [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89814-Midway-to-Sell-Off-Mortal-Kombat] difficulties, and every other problem imaginable under the sun, Midway finally found salvation under the wing of media giant Warner Bros.
That salvation, though, comes at a price - this coming Monday, Lo [http://www.trmk.org/news/12662/rip_midway_games_19582009_in_name_only.html].
On Monday the 13th, Midway will officially adopt a name that puts it under Warner Bros. umbrella - TRMK speculates that they'll adapt something related to the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment [http://www.wbie.com/] name, which does probably seem like the best bet at the moment.
Work on Mortal Kombat 9 (and any other titles in production) should not be affected as the only reported change is the title of the company. Even so, Midway was a huge name in the business in the mid-90s MK heyday, so ... well, it feels a bit strange, doesn't it? "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Update: Well, maybe not. Midway's Geoff Mogilner told Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/amid-midway-warner-bros-transition-midway-name-up-in-the-air/] that the matter was far from clear-cut. "The name and the mark are owned by Warner Bros. and it is up to them to figure out the branding strategy," he said. "[WB] bought the assets and the trademark and all the copyrights and the logo and all that ... to say the name is dead, it's silly but, ya know, it's premature -- the company Midway Games, Inc. still exists."
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