Midway Games, Inc.

Midway Games Inc. was a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, for a wide range of platforms. It is especially known for the Mortal Kombat franchise. Based with a corporate office in Chicago, Illinois, the company had many worldwide divisions and subsidiaries. Its west coast division, Midway Home Entertainment, Inc., operated out of San Diego, California.

It was formed in 1988, after Bally Midway Mfg Co. was acquired by WMS Industries under the name WMS Games Inc. (which was quickly changed to Midway Manufacturing Company).

Initially Midway Games Inc. handled the coin-op arcade manufacture and sales out of its Chicago location, while Midway Home Entertainment developed games for home consoles from its west coast units. In 1998 it was set free by its owner WMS Industries and became its own company, owned by its stockholders. Eventually their Corsicana site was closed down and the company chose the San Diego location for its west coast hub. In 2001 Midway quit coin-op game manufacturing and sold all of the assets to Happ Control, Inc.

In February 2008, the Midway conglomerate employed approximately 900 people (about 700 development staff and about 100 in sales and marketing departments).

On 12th February 2009 the company announced that the company and its U.S. subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing did not include the company's non-U.S. operations, which continued business.

Acquired development studios:

• Surreal Software Inc. (2004 - acquired by Warner Bros. in July 2009)
• Inevitable Entertainment (2004-2008, renamed Midway Studios - Austin Inc.)
• Paradox Development (2004-2008, renamed Midway Studios - Los Angeles Inc.)
• Ratbag Pty, Ltd. (2005-2005, renamed Midway Studios Australia)
• The Pitbull Syndicate Limited (2005-2009, renamed Midway Studios - Newcastle)

Established studios:

• Midway Studios - San Diego (...-2009 - acquired by THQ August, 2009)
• Midway Chicago (... - acquired by Warner Bros. in July 2009)

Midway subsidiaries:

• Midway Games West (1998-2003)
• Midway Games GmbH (2005-2009, sold to F+F Publishing GmbH)
• Midway Games SAS (2006-2009, bought out and rebranded Tradewest Games SAS)
• Midway Games Ltd. (...-2009, bought out and rebranded Tradewest Games Ltd.)

After closing a number of studios in 2008, on 12th February 2009 the company filed for bankruptcy. In May of that year Warner Bros. bid $33 million for most of the company's assets, including the Surreal Software and Chicago development studio, and the Mortal Kombat franchise. No other bids came and on 1st July 2009 the sale was approved.

Following the acquisition, the corporate headquarters in Chicago was closed, as well as the Newcastle and San Diego development studio.

The final liquidation of all assets and securities was accomplished in June 2010.