Kingdom of Amalur’s 38 studios receive retroactive payment almost 10 years later

But arrears should be a fraction of what is owed

Former employees of the long-dead developer 38 Studios have been told they will finally receive a portion of the back pay due to the studio’s closure in 2012, nearly a decade after the staff were initially laid off.

As reported by Bloomberg, 38 Studios – whose only release was 2012 RPG Kingdom of Amalur: the judgment – registered in bankruptcy shortly after the release of the title, with more than 150 million US dollars owed to an army of a thousand creditors. Further disputes were caused by a last-minute studio move and repayments of a massive $ 75 million loan. This led to some 400 employees not receiving their last salary until the shutter was finally closed for good.

Last week, a Delaware court finally ruled that payment was still owed to employees, and checks started coming in on a variety of doormats. I say “a variety” because some of the former developers at 38 Studios said the checks were going to old home addresses, that was the long period between the studio’s closure and the court ruling. Equally frustrating, team members are unlikely to see the full amount owed. Those who worked at Studio 38’s Rhode Island are expected to receive about 14% of what they are owed, with the Maryland team receiving about 20%.

Rights to Kingdom of Amalur Intellectual property is currently part of THQ Nordic’s gigantic portfolio.

38 studio workers receive their last salary nine years after closure [GamesIndustry.biz]