38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur auction moved to December

The 38 Studios/Big Huge Games online auction will not be held this month as was previously planned. Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of auction organizer Heritage Global Partners, told GameSpot today that the auction has been moved to December, pending court approval.

The 38 Studios/Big Huge Games online auction was previously slated for November 13-14. It is not clear when specifically in December the auction will be held.

Richard J. Land, the lawyer representing Rhode Island and charged with selling off the assets, said this week that interest in the various IP has been greater than expected from potential bidders. As such, he sought court approval to delay the auction by a couple of weeks to accommodate the elevated interest.

Proceeds will go to the state of Rhode Island, which assumed ownership of the franchises when 38 Studios and subsidiary Big Huge Games went bankrupt last year.

Included in the auction are a number of assets, including MMO Project Copernicus, sequel rights to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and various intellectual property rights for Big Huge Games franchises, including Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends, and Catan.

Proprietary game technology--the Big Huge Games Engine--and the 38 Studios' gaming, social media, and development platform codenamed Helios are also up for auction.

No individuals or publishers have come forward publicly to date to express interest in any of the franchises or technology.