Guillemot Bids on Aureal

This year's financial drama for the maker of the Vortex 3D sound cards, Aureal, appears to be drawing to a close. Though it successfully defended itself from a lengthy lawsuit from Creative Labs that ended last December, the company was forced to declare bankruptcy this spring and the executive staff resigned. A bankruptcy court document located by Vortex of Sound, shows that an auction is scheduled for August 15 to sell the company's remaining assets. The document goes on to specify that Guillemot Corporation has registered an early bid of US$8 million. In the last year, Guillemot has picked up a couple companies on the edge of collapse, including Hercules and Thrustmaster.

Guillemot confirmed for GameSpot its involvement in the auction process, but pointed out that the auction is still weeks away and no deal can be official until it closes.