Ubisoft Obtains Rights To The Wheelman From Midway?

The Wheelman

Yesterday, we learned that Midway had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which tends to put a crimp in day-to-day business matters. Perhaps first on the agenda is the transferral of The Wheelman.

Selling off such an IP might put some cash in Midway's empty wallet, and that may be what has happened. According to Kotaku, Ubisoft has acquired the rights to The Wheelman, which is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 20. At this point, orders for the game have been put on hold and the game would be delayed in order for it to "undergo a transformation into an Ubisoft production." Many have been anticipating this freedom-oriented blend between driving and action, primarily because Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios was behind its development. Responsible for the critically acclaimed Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay in 2004, we've been awaiting more from Tigon ever since. From what we've seen of The Wheelman so far, we do have high expectations; we think it'll be tons of fun to go screaming around the city as...well, a wheelman. But if Ubisoft has taken over, you can pretty much kiss that March 20 date goodbye.

Neither Ubisoft or Midway has commented on the situation just yet, but it probably makes a lot of sense. Midway needs the cash and Ubisoft has the cash to give. Let's just hope things turn out okay for both The Wheelman and Midway; veteran game publishers need to stick around, in our opinion.

Related Game(s): The Wheelman

2/12/2009 Ben Dutka

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