Midway or the Highway

Via Kotaku, we have an update regarding Midway’s assets and how they might be divvied up among the sharks out there – er, I mean, the media conglomerates, like Warner Bros.

In these tough times, of course it sucks that a major gaming company, long known for establishing a foothold in old school arcades and of course, launching franchises like Mortal Kombat, would be in this much trouble. Still, with a bid from Warner in and other companies looking to acquire the stuff that Midway has put up for sale, you might think this could be a good thing, not a bad thing.

Consider Mortal Kombat. Let’s face it folks, while bringing the DC Universe folks to brawl with our favorite fatality-inducing MK cast was nice, it probably didn’t bring in the revenue that was expected. A reboot under a brand new company could breathe some life into the much-maligned recent years of Mortal Kombat. It succeeded for Street Fighter, and while “Get Over Here!” and multi-armed monsters beating you to a pulp are slightly less iconic than a Hadouken or a Psycho Crusher, Mortal Kombat could enjoy a nice second wind with Warner. So here’s to hoping MK gets to enjoy a John Travolta (circa Pulp Fiction) instead of a Sylvester Stallone (circa unnecessary Rambo sequel).

And what about the other Midway properties? Imagine Rampage, that old arcade favorite where you played the monsters and trampled through the 50 states, eating people, destroying buildings, and generally being delightfully evil. Now get that in HD and add in the kind of violence and mayhem that us gamers come to love and enjoy in our daily bouts of escapism. Sounds sexy doesn’t it? It just needs an interested buyer.

So dry your eyes for Midway, folks. I know that being from Chicago, I feel for the studio that is just a couple hours drive away. But for all intents and purposes, the ads are right – bankruptcy isn’t always the end, and in fact could lead to a better beginning for all the cast and crew of your favorite Midway games.