Company News Ascaron kick the bucket over Sacred 2

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Ascaron Entertainment; Sacred 2

Apparently only for the Germans though because it's <a href="http://www.ascaron.com/d/news/index.html">only been posted on their German site</a>. Mein German ist nicht so here's google translate ja:
<br>
<blockquote>Ascaron Entertainment GmbH on 14 April 2009 Amtsgericht Bielefeld to open insolvency proceedings is requested. The experienced Gütersloher Insolvenzrechtler Dr. Frank M. Welsch has become the provisional liquidator appointed.
<br>
<br>
The company presents itself under the protection of bankruptcy. Ascaron Entertainment GmbH wants it the chance to exercise, the company and not as many jobs to save. The Action RPG Sacred2 is a world famous game with an international potential on all platforms.
<br>
<br>
Sacred2 has a PC version in Germany from October 2008 for 5 weeks 1 on the charts shows and several awards. Already at the end of 2008 could Sacred2 sold more than 100,000 games reported. International Ascaron has Sacred2 PC with top rankings in the charts, and more than 400,000 sales achieved.
<br>
<br>
The development of Sacred2 Playstation3 and Xbox 360 versions of a few days ago, could be successfully completed. The necessary approvals were granted Sony and Microsoft.
<br>
<br>
Both versions of Sacred2 are expected in mid-May in the trade available. Currently the developers are working on a PC Sacred2 AddOn as well as on the development of the successor product Sacred3.
<br>
<br>
The Ascaron this week launched legal action after it has been necessary in the 4-year development phase of title successes Sacred2 to developmental delays have occurred. Despite the high personal commitment of all employees in the development of this residue could not be fully compensated.
<br>
<br>
The Executive Committee has already begun talks with several well-known prospects for the adoption, together with the provisional liquidator continued.</blockquote>
<br>
They're adopting, yay! Though I wouldn't have thought 400,000 sales for Sacred 2 was too bad. According to <a href="http://gamebanshee.com/news/static/EkFAAlVEkVaxTxBhPw.php">the press release, Sacred 2's console release</a> has been delayed a few months too.
<br>
<br>
Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</a>

 

[Andhaira]

I hear Sacred 2 is not that good.

 

[thesheeep]

It isn't. The Art design is just awkward and the release was ridden with some nasty bugs.
The gameplay itself is said to be pretty solid and the world to be very big.

The art/setting design is seriously what kills this game for me. I mean, a classical fantasy world... and sci-fi Stargate-like Anubis robots and machines just standing next to those fantasy elements in a completely different, non-fitting look.
You gotta see the render intro. It's a lot "wtf?!" and "lol".

 

[Spectacle]

The banks are still tight with loans because of the financial crisis, so even companies with good earning potential are getting in trouble because of cash-flow issues.

Ascaron may have been the latest victim, or they may have fucked up on their own. Either way I hope they manage to get the company through bankruptcy intact.

 

[Joe Krow]

They sold 400,000 copies of Sacred 2. At $30 a pop that's like 12 million dollars. Budget much?

 

[Antagonist]

They sold 400,000 copies of Sacred 2. At $30 a pop that's like 12 million dollars. Budget much?

As if the complete prize goes to the developer. There are costs for packaging the game, paying distribution channels and shelf space and probably a whole lot of other things. A couple of years ago someone told me that only about 10 percent of the prize tag actually reaches the developer.

 

[Balor]

I've bought Sacred 2 and was VERY disappointed. It was fun... for about an hour or so. Then it became VERY boring AND annoying.

Utterly repeative, and the 'fourth wall breaking' comments were teeth-grinding jarring.

I might give it an other try after d/ling a ton of patches, and a mandatory 'Shut up you stupid cunt!' mod.
Are there any in existence, I might ask? I bet not only I was annoying to hell by this voiceovers.

 

[JarlFrank]

From what it says there the game sold pretty well and the financial problems are of some other nature. They're working on an expansion for the PC-version, they finished the console version and will sell it soon and are working on another sequel. When the console versions sells well enough, they'll most likely survive.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

They sold 400,000 copies of Sacred 2. At $30 a pop that's like 12 million dollars. Budget much?

Bingo, they spent fucking forever working on a dodgy diablo clone.

 

[Gorath]

A crucial point could be the time it takes the revenue to filter though to the developer. It's not unusual for big retailers to have payment targets of 1 or even 2 quarters. That's 3-6 months until the money arrives on the publisher's account. Then the publisher could also demand a couple of months to carefully process the bookkeeping stuff.

So it is possible the majority of the money for the 400k has yet to arrive. If they have less cash on the bank than they need to pay the curent bills, they are insolvent.