XX_revolution
01-15-2003, 09:28 PM
The latest version of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, has sold over a million copies across all formats in the USA since its release on November 22, according to understandably delighted publisher Midway.
The success of the title has put the spotlight once again on Chicago-based Midway's future, however, with the company still thought to be in serious difficulty following twelve quarterly losses in a row. Now some commentators are hinting that Microsoft may be considering the publisher as an acquisition target.
Although the majority of Midway's titles in 2002 performed poorly, the company still has a selection of valuable intellectual property - with a variety of old arcade franchises under its belt, as well as the lucrative Mortal Kombat license and a number of well-received sports games. Analysts consider the company to be a relatively cheap treasure trove of much-needed IP for the Xbox, should Microsoft be interested.
"Microsoft has to do something," Wedbush Morgan Securities industry analyst Michael Pachter told Chicago-based business publication Crain's. "They've got lousy sports games; Midway has some good ones. Mortal Kombat would be great if they had it... They've got to make a dent in Sony’s lead, and Midway would help. It makes a lot of sense."
Midway's share price has dropped by 75 per cent over the last year, and two major rounds of layoffs took place at the company during 2002 - with 10 per cent of the staff being laid off in March, and a further five per cent in December. The significant success of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance aside, this is surely a company in need of a saviour every bit as much as Microsoft needs high-quality IP for its console.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is released in the UK on February 14th.
The success of the title has put the spotlight once again on Chicago-based Midway's future, however, with the company still thought to be in serious difficulty following twelve quarterly losses in a row. Now some commentators are hinting that Microsoft may be considering the publisher as an acquisition target.
Although the majority of Midway's titles in 2002 performed poorly, the company still has a selection of valuable intellectual property - with a variety of old arcade franchises under its belt, as well as the lucrative Mortal Kombat license and a number of well-received sports games. Analysts consider the company to be a relatively cheap treasure trove of much-needed IP for the Xbox, should Microsoft be interested.
"Microsoft has to do something," Wedbush Morgan Securities industry analyst Michael Pachter told Chicago-based business publication Crain's. "They've got lousy sports games; Midway has some good ones. Mortal Kombat would be great if they had it... They've got to make a dent in Sony’s lead, and Midway would help. It makes a lot of sense."
Midway's share price has dropped by 75 per cent over the last year, and two major rounds of layoffs took place at the company during 2002 - with 10 per cent of the staff being laid off in March, and a further five per cent in December. The significant success of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance aside, this is surely a company in need of a saviour every bit as much as Microsoft needs high-quality IP for its console.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is released in the UK on February 14th.