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Rockstar: Internal Strife Threatens Midnight Club

It's one of the most lucrative racing franchises in history but it hasn't made any big splashes lately. Sadly, this is why you may have a long wait before the next Midnight Club comes flying up the pike.

In an industry where names like Gran Turismo, Burnout, Forza and Need for Speed tend to take the racing limelight more often than not, Rockstar's Midnight Club has struggled a bit. Their most recent entry, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, certainly wasn't bad but it probably fell short of expectations as far as the publisher was concerned. And now that Joystiq has looked into the situation, it seems prospects for a new MC are dim. It appears that Rockstar San Diego lost key team members last year (some were fired while others quit) and it's all due to the company's handling of a new MC project (apparently). Said one studio source who wished to remain anonymous:

"At first, the team was told there was going to be another. That lasted a few months until the team was told, 'Well, we're going to do another, but it will be all outsourced ... but there will be a core team of 5 - 15 people at RSSD working on it.' Then, after a while longer, it was just not going to happen at all. Rumors abound about what will happen to Midnight Club, but Take-Two want something soon because it was the second highest money maker for Rockstar."

There also seems to be an issue between the San Diego and New York branches as the latter branch has been accused of unrealistic release schedules, along with "last-minute changes and mismanaged planning." At this point, Rockstar San Diego says that "anyone from the New York office is feared" because everyone on the West coast knows the NY people "are unstable and needy." ...yeah, sounds like they've got some corporate issues to work through. Unfortunately, it all spells bad news for the revered Midnight Club series.

1/11/2010 9:23:01 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (31 posts)

OtisFeelgood
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 9:46:44 PM
Reply

Drama ftl.

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Karosso
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:00:53 PM
Reply

We New Yorkers to be feared? Unstable and needy?
West coast kids are such wusses LOL
Who cares! your game sucks anyways.
Now shut the FU@# up and give me another Smuggler's Run, if you don't want to get hurt.
Please, please I beg you make another Smuggler's Run...
Typical New Yorker behavior :)

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Strifewind
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 7:08:52 AM

Regarding New Yorkers, I believe they were pointing specifically at Rockstar's NYC branch, not all New Yorkers in general.

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Karosso
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 3:14:37 PM

I was just kidding, being a New Yorker myself... Goodness, people lighten up!
I still would love to have a Smuggler's Run for the PS3... Even if I had to threaten or beg somebody LOL

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schillah
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:01:04 PM
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damn :(

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Jed
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:05:22 PM
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If midnight club is rockstar's number 2 money maker, what is number 1?

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ExhumeART
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:18:27 PM

GTA?

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OtisFeelgood
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:57:48 PM

lol...

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:21:22 PM
Reply

Is anyone actually disappointed by this?

What's Rockstar Montreal up to? Gimme Bully 2!
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 1/11/2010 10:24:39 PM

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Alienange
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 12:32:28 AM

I could ask them for you, but they don't always care about the locals.

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onsiterecording
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 3:58:14 AM

A sequel to Bully is something that I would love to see. The first one was great, and I actually spent around half an hour last night thinking of some stuff that could be implemented into a second installment.

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Fane1024
Saturday, January 16, 2010 @ 7:15:59 PM

Bully was made by Rockstar Vancouver. There is no Rockstar Montreal.

Vancouver is not Montreal.

;P

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Qubex
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:34:17 PM
Reply

Lol... "unstable and needy"... who feels like that these days then?

Q!

"i am home"

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:10:42 PM

I feel unstable and needy every day :)

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Deleted User
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 10:55:08 PM
Reply

I never liked this franchise. Played MC: LA and that was garbage. I had more fun with Pixeljunk Racers.

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BikerSaint
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:02:55 PM
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I hope all this strife between E/W coast doesn't cause any distress for Red Dead Redemption.
I'd hate for this Western game to wind up buggy because of RS going through any internal BullShot back yonder in the East.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 1/11/2010 11:05:04 PM

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SILVERAMMO
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:02:56 PM
Reply

wtf this is the second best car came and one of my favorites this cant happen those bastards better calm down and make me another one

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Deleted User
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:20:45 PM
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@SILVERAMMO I hate this game

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Hezzron
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:26:32 PM
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I like RS games, but I've never gone to the Midnight Club series for my racing fix.

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Deleted User
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:30:09 PM

Anything Rockstar produces is highly overated. GT f'n A, Bully, Midnight Club, etc Barf!! Hate this company as much as anything that has "Halo" in its title.

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BikerSaint
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:28:45 PM
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@Logamus_Prime,
And so much, you just had to say it twice.

"WOW"

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Deleted User
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:31:19 PM
Reply

@BikerSaint I thumb you up!

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BikerSaint
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 9:19:12 AM

@Logamus_Prime

Then saying it "3 times", really is the charm, huh?

LOL
Last edited by BikerSaint on 1/12/2010 9:19:47 AM

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___________
Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 11:38:29 PM
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im really starting to loose my faith in R*.
they use to be the industrys best developers they were allways striving for perfection no matter the cost.
now with GTAIV and the DLC, and that recent note from their "wifes" im starting to believe theve bit the dust too.
money has destroyed this industry.
developers like capcom, square, R* use to be the pick of the crop but now they have gone greedy, money tight and thats seriously hurt the quality of their games.
especially capcom, ill never forgive them for what they did to resident evil 5.

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isaya85
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 12:12:40 AM
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I love the MC franchise I would be devastated if they didn't release a new one, even tho I didn't like the latest one MC:LA it's still one of my favorite racing franchises MC2 was the best, I hope they get it together

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Alienange
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 12:37:55 AM
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Even if they got it together and came out with a new MC, would we want it now that those precious "key team members" are gone?

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IronFace2
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 3:46:40 AM
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I have GT5 in my head.... can't say anything about other racing games.
but MC:LA was pretty good

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maxpontiac
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 10:44:20 AM

Indeed sir. GT5 is all I am thinking of when it comes to racing games, but I sure did enjoy Midnight Club LA.

I hope the series does not end.

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JackC8
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 7:42:10 AM
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It was their second biggest money maker, and now they're dickin' around, can't even decide if they're going to continue the franchise? Yeah, that's good management. Sound like their employees are happy too lol. I love racing but I've never played a Midnight Club game. Just sounds like too much urban gangsta crap in there for my tastes.

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Cholo Gamer
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 @ 10:30:43 PM
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I like MC it's a pretty good game. Hope they make a new one!

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Dingodial
Thursday, January 14, 2010 @ 6:07:27 PM
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MC games are respected for their record for deepest customization that you can possibly do to a car on a game. NFS doesn't even come close in comparison, as far as customization goes.

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