Kingdoms of Amalur IP auction set for November

Rhode Island will attempt to sell various 38 Studios and Big Huge Games franchises and rights through a liquidation auction November 14-15, it has been announced (via Joystiq).

The auction will be orchestrated by Heritage Global Partners. 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 intellectual property assets in the Amalur fantasy universe. These include MMO Project Copernicus, sequel rights to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and merchandise rights and revenue streams associated with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

38 Studios founder Curt Schilling said in February 2012 after Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning shipped that a sequel was already in the works. The original game sold 1.2 million copies in its first 90 days.

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in May 2012 that the Amalur MMO Project Copernicus was worth around $20 million.

Also featured in the auction are 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.

Two auctions last year liquidated office equipment from 38 Studios in Providence, Rhode Island, and the company's office in Timonium, Maryland, netting less than $1 million.

The United States Securities & Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into the controversial $75 million loan that brought 38 Studios to Rhode Island in 2010.