38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur auction set for December 11

The 38 Studios/Big Huge Games liquidation auction--which will see franchise rights for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and MMO Copernicus go to the highest bidder--will be held on December 11, auction organizer Heritage Partners has announced. The auction will be telephonic, meaning it will be held over the phone.

The auction will begin on December 11 at 10 a.m. EDT and last only two hours, ending at 12 noon. The auction was previously scheduled to span two days--November 13-14. However, the auction was delayed last week after potential bidders expressed greater than expected interest in the franchises.

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.