Midway Closes Ratbag

[see colon]

According to Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141278.html):

In a move Scrooge would have approved of, Chicago-based Midway Games has shuttered its San Diego and Adelaide, Australia, studios, according to Adelaide's The Advertiser. The closures will send more than a hundred staffers packing just two weeks before the Christmas holidays.
Ratbag (the Australia studio) developed many racing games that had dirt tracks, such as Dirt Track Racing 1&2, World of Outlaws, Saturday Night Speedway, and Dukes of Hazzard, before being consumed by Midway earlier this year.

[Metal Jesus]

I look at Midway and wonder how they are going to survive. Area 51, LA Rush, and NARC were seriously lame.

Do a sequel to Psi-Ops Mindgate Conspiracy!

[AniAko]

Gee I guess Midway's $30 million loss last quarter proved hurtful. They probably took a nice loss this quarter too. But that's the sad truth, the company fucked up, and the little guys pay the price.

[fushi]

They also developed Powerslide, which was awesome and visually really impressive, especially back then. Sad to see them go.

[Adam Blue]

Man I thought they were doing good. They were taking risks, starting some newer franchises.

[antoniogaud]

This news is almost unreal... I had interviewed with Ratbag, Australia just last month and was on the last stage of the interview process when I was told by a Midway manager in the US that I needed a more technical background for the position they were looking to fill... Good thing I didn't get the job!

WHEW!

I must admit that I feel badly for the guys at Ratbag because I know - after speaking with the founders for over 90 minutes - just how excited they were about the future. Hopefully RatBag will rise again even stronger than ever.

Still, can't be a good holiday for them and for that, I feel horrible.

[UnderHero5]

This happens way too often. Big name buys little name, six months later big name fires little name.
What's the point? Fucking bastards.

RatBag made some good stuff too! Better than Midways offering has been the past year.
I thought they were taking a turn for the better with Psi-Ops... but they fucking went back to the bottom of the barrel rather fast with LA Rush, Area 51 and NARC. Good lord, LA Rush almost made me cry! I even gave them the bennefit of the doubt.

No more Midway! Your day in the sun has long since passed, never again will I pay for one of your shitty games! NEEEVAAAAR!!!

... alright I'm done.

[agentgray]

Didn't Romero work in the San Diego office? or is he doing his own thing again?

I forget.

[Thenetcase]

I think that EA needs to just buy everyone and then close them and get it over with now.

-TNC-

[Rifter]

They also developed Powerslide, which was awesome and visually really impressive, especially back then. Sad to see them go.

powerslide was loads of fun. I never bought any other games they made, though, I did keep meaning to. Ratbag was a great studio. Too bad they got swallowed up, and screwed over.

[Gamefreaks]

What's with the Area 51 hate???? It wasn't groundbreaking or anything, but it was still a fun, well presented fps.

[thecrazyd]

Didn't Romero work in the San Diego office? or is he doing his own thing again?

I forget.
Johnny R got the boot a couple of months ago.

[bean19]

Eh. . . survival of the fittest and all that.

Sucks that it happened so close to Christmas, but I bet they got severance packages, and if you developed those games you probably would have been wondering why the company was still open at all.

[bean19]

What's with the Area 51 hate???? It wasn't groundbreaking or anything, but it was still a fun, well presented fps.

People often are more vehement against average games that had unfulfilled potential than they are against games that just suck outright. Area 51 gets the hate because they were good enough for people to care enough to hate. . . rather than just be indifferent.

A dubious accolade perhaps, but there it is.

[Metal Jesus]

Why the Area 51 hate? Because I already own better FPS games: Call of Duty 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Darkwatch, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Doom 3, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, King Kong, Thief: Deadly Shadows, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Even Tron 2.0: Killer App was more interesting than Area 51.

[Dracula-X]

What really boggles me head is Midway closing down Ratbag a mere 4 months after aquisition. It's not like their financial troubles fell from the sky one day, surely they could have saved $7 million US and not bought Ratbag and concentrated on getting their shit together... and spared 70+ people their jobs. sheesh.

Hopefully Ratbag can reconstitute.

[Sinistar]

Why the Area 51 hate? Because I already own better FPS games: Call of Duty 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Darkwatch, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Doom 3, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, King Kong, Thief: Deadly Shadows, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Even Tron 2.0: Killer App was more interesting than Area 51.

Wow - you listed some games that were so much worse than Area 51. Darkwatch (crap), Timesplitters FP (crap), Thief: DS (crappity crap crap), Deus Ex: IW (crap) and Tron 2.0 (puh-lease, it was crap too).

Now, Area 51 was not all that good but it really just suffered from Duchovnyitis. The same terrible thing happened to XIII. How in the world can some make a cool FPS when you have the walking dead doing the dialogue?

[LilAbner]

powerslide was loads of fun. I never bought any other games they made, though, I did keep meaning to. Ratbag was a great studio. Too bad they got swallowed up, and screwed over.

"Great"?

That word is thrown around waaaay too easily.

Blizzard is great. Valve is great. Ratbag, at best, was mediocre.

While I hate to see anyone lose their jobs due to a layoff, the truth is that studio didn't produce any big-selling games. None. Zip. Zilch.

Ratbag catered to a very small segment: the deepest bowels of the redneck population.

[murpes]

Dirt Track Racing and WOL is still one of my favorite LAN games. My buddies and I get together with a bunch of beer and race all night long. Sad to see Ratbag go.

[aversion2k]

A freind of mine got a job there about 2 months ago, had to move from new zealand to austraila.
He found out about this 2 days ago. My old tutor also had a job there.

I was thinking about applying for a job there aswell but instead I chose an amataur company in nz.

Phew

Also I think he was working on this http://www.ratbaggames.com/scavenger/flash.htm
Which is extrememly similar to the game demo we worked on at our course
http://www.goliathgame.com

[Cubfan]

Naming the company 'Ratbag' probably wasn't the first step towards success.

[Zombosis]

This sort of thing seems to be in the air; it's happened at Rockstar too: Link to WorthPlaying article (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=30468)

[Rifter]

While I hate to see anyone lose their jobs due to a layoff, the truth is that studio didn't produce any big-selling games. None. Zip. Zilch.


There are a lot of great games, that never become big-selling games. (Beyond Good and Evil). They make good quality, fun games.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Sheesh, this kinda thing gets really old. Big studio buys little studio and then shuts them down. EA even has the courtesy to rape their franchises and fuck over their fans before shutting them down.

Yet people say that going mainstream has been good for gaming. I think it's resulted in more shit, and more ME TOO!! titles.

[mister_slim]

Does anyone at Midway have any idea what they are doing?

[see colon]

This sort of thing seems to be in the air; it's happened at Rockstar too: Link to WorthPlaying article (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=30468)
R* needs to stop making crime simulators and make another uniracers. i guarentee they'll sell at least 3 copies if they make it for DS with wireless multiplayer (i'll buy 2).

[The Iron Weasel]

Wow - you listed some games that were so much worse than Area 51. Darkwatch (crap), Timesplitters FP (crap), Thief: DS (crappity crap crap), Deus Ex: IW (crap) and Tron 2.0 (puh-lease, it was crap too).

Now, Area 51 was not all that good but it really just suffered from Duchovnyitis. The same terrible thing happened to XIII. How in the world can some make a cool FPS when you have the walking dead doing the dialogue?

Hey...Tron 2.0 was good!