JoWooD recovery plan breaks down, closure appears imminent
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Austrian game publisher JoWooD Entertainment has reached "game over," according to Austrian news site Boerse-Express. Negotiations with potential investors to recapitalize the debt-ridden publisher have fallen apart, signaling that the end is near. In order to pay back creditors, Game Informer notes, JoWooD could now attempt to sell off its game properties (recalling Midway's last gasp).
A companion report on Boerse-Express adds that shares of the company have been suspended from trading and that the JoWooD Distribution Services subsidiary has also filed for bankruptcy. It's as yet unknown what will happen to DreamCatcher, JoWooD's Toronto-based subsidiary in charge of North American publishing operations.
In early January, JoWooD filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to pursue capital reorganization. "The management board assumes that negotiations with creditors and possible investors can be positively conducted and finalized within 90 days," the company said at the time, "and thus continuation of the company can be assured."
JoWooD was founded in 1995. The company is best known for publishing the Gothic series, in addition to the Painkiller and Spellforce games. JoWooD also published Torchlight in European territories. According to Boerse-Express, the company employs about 85 staff. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, JoWooD reported a net loss of €25 million (about $36 million).
[Pictured: Painkiller: Redemption (2011)]
A companion report on Boerse-Express adds that shares of the company have been suspended from trading and that the JoWooD Distribution Services subsidiary has also filed for bankruptcy. It's as yet unknown what will happen to DreamCatcher, JoWooD's Toronto-based subsidiary in charge of North American publishing operations.
In early January, JoWooD filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to pursue capital reorganization. "The management board assumes that negotiations with creditors and possible investors can be positively conducted and finalized within 90 days," the company said at the time, "and thus continuation of the company can be assured."
JoWooD was founded in 1995. The company is best known for publishing the Gothic series, in addition to the Painkiller and Spellforce games. JoWooD also published Torchlight in European territories. According to Boerse-Express, the company employs about 85 staff. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, JoWooD reported a net loss of €25 million (about $36 million).
[Pictured: Painkiller: Redemption (2011)]
Reader Comments (11)
Posted: Apr 21st 2011 11:12PM ovoon said
:( NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
At least Piranha Bytes will get the rights back to the Gothic series most likely.
At least Piranha Bytes will get the rights back to the Gothic series most likely.
Posted: Apr 21st 2011 11:19PM SHAUUUN said
As sad as it is to see people lose there jobs, and what not, it's fully deserved. Where in a econmey where gamers can't just go out and spend all there cash on everything, and anything. We give our money to GOTY type games, or just really SOLID titles in general.
Anything below solid just isn't cutting it anymore, at least not for a 60$ pricetag it's not.
Make good games you'll stay floating, create crappy games then don't be surprised to see yourself closed in a year or 2.
Sad, but that's just the way it is.
Anything below solid just isn't cutting it anymore, at least not for a 60$ pricetag it's not.
Make good games you'll stay floating, create crappy games then don't be surprised to see yourself closed in a year or 2.
Sad, but that's just the way it is.
Posted: Apr 22nd 2011 12:15AM iHavePants said
@SHAUUUN
And they kept trying to milk the Painkiller franchise with terrible psuedosequels.
Reply
And they kept trying to milk the Painkiller franchise with terrible psuedosequels.
Posted: Apr 22nd 2011 12:51AM sleepwheel said
arcania wasn't bad. i hope someone picks it up and release the expansion for it as well as fix the remaining bugs.
also gothic 3 expansion recently had a community patch released that makes it a bit more playable than the original as well as pumping up the graphics.
jowood is just the publisher anyway, they don't develop any of their games.
also gothic 3 expansion recently had a community patch released that makes it a bit more playable than the original as well as pumping up the graphics.
jowood is just the publisher anyway, they don't develop any of their games.
Posted: Apr 22nd 2011 2:01AM fid said
there goes my hopes for a rally trophy sequel. real shame too, the first one was fan-fricken-tastic. nothing quite like it before or since.
Posted: Apr 23rd 2011 4:46PM Dalrint said
Damn it, somebody better buy dreamcatcher, I need my adventure games!
Posted: Apr 25th 2011 11:26AM Darki Dreamside said
WIll this have any impact on torchlight 2?
Posted: Apr 22nd 2011 11:11AM yomachaser said
Honestly with a body of work that thin why were they holding on to nearly 100 staff? For sure they could have restructured and stayed afloat.




