Midway - What Happened?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
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    #mattmcmuscles #midway #whathappened?

ความคิดเห็น • 1K

  • @MattMcMuscles
    @MattMcMuscles  2 ปีที่แล้ว +270

    Want more Midway mayhem? Then check out the WH on all the failed Mortal Kombat Remakes! th-cam.com/video/29pNd-i4ykM/w-d-xo.html

    • @greatfox232
      @greatfox232 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Do Marvel Nemesis; rise of the imperfects

    • @horrorandmonsterfan952
      @horrorandmonsterfan952 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Matt McMuscles can you do a
      What Happened? On Destroy All Humans Series

    • @pattybean457
      @pattybean457 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Oh man I can't wait for you to do the shit show that was Acclaim especially when they did all the outrageous PR stunts for BMX XXX and getting someone to call their kid Shadowman

    • @bbreimm
      @bbreimm 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      We don't deserve you Mr. McMuscles. Thank you and please never stop

    • @aaronbasham6554
      @aaronbasham6554 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Can I just say Sumner Redstone is an amazing name?
      Like, can that be the official name of some sort of Gauntlet character?

  • @StopSkeletonsFromFighting
    @StopSkeletonsFromFighting 2 ปีที่แล้ว +704

    Just sitting here, enjoying some What Happened, and suddenly I’m in the video! Where’s my check, Matt??

    • @reillocb
      @reillocb 2 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Somebody get uncle Derek that check Stat, those esoteric controllers aren't cheap.

    • @Killer-Lover
      @Killer-Lover 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Nice vids skeleton

    • @raminatox
      @raminatox 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      ✔️

    • @SN1PERx64
      @SN1PERx64 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      a check in sweet, sweet exposure...

    • @crawlingkhaos8970
      @crawlingkhaos8970 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Silly Derek, it's right next to your username!

  • @GenerationWest
    @GenerationWest 2 ปีที่แล้ว +749

    Honestly never knew that Midway was that old, but it tried to change with the times, and now it's a WB Games subsidiary, milking Mortal Kombat properties. Watching it fall in real time was heartbreaking... But we still have Crazy Uncle Ed Boon!

    • @RichardBarkman
      @RichardBarkman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Ik man but there’s other ip own thq Nordic too by old midway but sitting there dusts as long time.

    • @andrewjriggs
      @andrewjriggs 2 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      @@RichardBarkman bro I’m not trying to be rude but I have read this comment at least 6 times and still have no clue what you are trying to say

    • @SoftwareAgentsTV
      @SoftwareAgentsTV 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Not even that, it is nothing more than a brand name WB Games controls that they used for any classic arcade game they own, regardless of whether it was made at Midway or not (ref: Super Off-Road).

    • @AkumaKristian
      @AkumaKristian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@andrewjriggs I think they were trying to say that THQ Nordic owns some of Midway's old IPs.
      Emphasis on "I think". (I don't even know if that is the case to be honest. It's hard to keep track of the amount of niche IPs that THQ Nordic own)

    • @343ishill
      @343ishill 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@andrewjriggs I think what he's saying is THQ Nordic still revisits old IP like Darksiders while making licensed games like Spongebob. Meanwhile Midway under WB only develops Mortal Kombat and ignores all its old catalogue of IPs to gather dust.

  • @captainmidnight
    @captainmidnight 2 ปีที่แล้ว +503

    Great video, I never really knew what happened to them! Between Doom 64, Crusin USA and NFL Blitz, I was a big fan! I thought they were a way bigger deal than like, Activision when I was a little kid.

    • @DetectorCliche
      @DetectorCliche 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Love your channel

    • @TidusX16
      @TidusX16 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Do a crossover!!! Make the Matt McMuscles Cinematic Universe happen!!!

  • @atk1152
    @atk1152 2 ปีที่แล้ว +445

    for a company bringing "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks", "The Suffering", "Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures", "Rampage: Total Destruction" it is very sad to see the company bankrupt

    • @TheLastRaven6
      @TheLastRaven6 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Gauntlent dark legacy...OH MAN thats so fun with friends. ...Until one em steals the food you needed so you take their control outta the port and turn it into a sudo-mace

    • @retroentertainment1340
      @retroentertainment1340 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I actually remember playing Ed, Edd, n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures and Rampage: Total Destruction on Nintendo GameCube.

    • @RGF91
      @RGF91 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Me silently chanting tna tna tna tna tna

    • @yellowmarshmellowpuffnob6922
      @yellowmarshmellowpuffnob6922 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Don't forget DOOM 64

    • @BaronOfZLand
      @BaronOfZLand 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Dude, Psi-Ops. Probably the most underrated game of all time.

  • @UfodexENMD
    @UfodexENMD 2 ปีที่แล้ว +742

    This made me sad. Midway gave us such great games especially the sports games. Thanks for the childhood memories Midway

    • @THANATOS-PRIME
      @THANATOS-PRIME 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      They made my favorite arcade shooter. Carn-Evil.

    • @MalcolmTurnerKing
      @MalcolmTurnerKing 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I still play Blitz The League on AetherSx2 and I still have Blitz: The League 2 for PS3.

    • @chemergency
      @chemergency 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      NFL Blitz always blew Madden and everything else out of the water. Football is so much more fun when the rules are stripped to the bare minimum.

    • @UfodexENMD
      @UfodexENMD 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@chemergency and we'll never get another game like Blitz due to the NFLs rules about late hits and other bs. I could go on a rant about the league but unfortunately we'll only have memories of those chaotic amazing games.

    • @chaosdirge4906
      @chaosdirge4906 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I remember liking the suffering when it came out, I would like to see a sequel to it but I doubt I ever will. Honestly, I'm OK with most of midway being left forgotten.

  • @RebelTaxi
    @RebelTaxi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +243

    17:10 WB at least gave Midway its own world in Lego Dimensions. It's nice having a 3D sandbox with landmarks from Gauntlet or Rampage

    • @MattMcMuscles
      @MattMcMuscles  2 ปีที่แล้ว +141

      Damn, I've never seen a company do the barest amount of effort with so many IPs.

    • @autobotstarscream765
      @autobotstarscream765 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Mortal Kombat LEGOs when?

    • @FractalShoggoth
      @FractalShoggoth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@MattMcMuscles Konami springs to mind...

    • @mrcritical6751
      @mrcritical6751 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      That was one of the most WTF franchises in that game. The level made zero sense, the character you got with it (The Gamer Kid) was a complete nobody who just made video game references constantly, the adventure world was barren as hell and it just felt like a last minuet “oh god we need another thing to get the franchise count up, quick what can we get off Warner Bros for cheap?”

    • @Acidonia150reborn
      @Acidonia150reborn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@mrcritical6751 What I dont get is you see Gamer Kid in the stage ending Turning into Gegorge. Yet the Actual in game character can't but they is in Gegorge as a NPC model in the midway world but Bane in the same has the Abilty to change into a fully playable Model based on the Big Fig that the Gegorge NPC uses. Theres Lego Stlyed figures from the Midway series in game too yet none are playable.
      Godzilla,King Kong,Megaman and the universal Monsters was scraped series for Lego Dimensions to name a few. Though back to Rampage they is no Missions or levels in the game that play like Rampage which is such a waste with the amount of characters in that game. It is only way to play some midway classic arcade games on the PS4/PS5 and Wii U still. Though you have to unlock them by finding them in every stage and this includes the DLC story ones for year one so it's a long way and possibly expesensive way to fo so.

  • @dansilvers8052
    @dansilvers8052 2 ปีที่แล้ว +126

    Shortly after Midway fell apart, I was at an Autodesk presentation in Boston and met one of their artists. He gave me an "Art of Midway" book for reasons unknown to this day. It's an amazing treasure trove of concept art and inside info on a bunch of their old titles. Just one of those crazy, serendipitous treasures.

    • @razorflossrazor2937
      @razorflossrazor2937 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      You still have it? That thing is probably worth something

    • @BassmintStile
      @BassmintStile 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@razorflossrazor2937 I just gooled the book. You can get it used for under $5 shipped.

    • @dansilvers8052
      @dansilvers8052 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@razorflossrazor2937 I do indeed! Right on my bookshelf. Only goes for like $7 on eBay, so it's mostly sentimental value representing an awesome night during a very different time in game development.

  • @SAPProd
    @SAPProd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +400

    Looks like we have a new champion for the earliest starting point of a What Happened episode (you wore the crown well, E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial). Gonna be hard to top this one on the video game side; probably would have to tackle the origins of Nintendo or something.

    • @btr3k
      @btr3k 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      If Coleco is ever covered, that goes further back to the 1930s (edit - definitely nothing compared to Nintendo in 1889 though)! The video game industry is an odd beast.

    • @16ktsgamma
      @16ktsgamma 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Please the origins of Nintendo is. "It's a card company."

    • @SAPProd
      @SAPProd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      @@16ktsgamma but it didn’t stay a card company. They went into a lot of ventures in the near 100 years they spent before become a video game company, including love hotels.

    • @josephjefferies346
      @josephjefferies346 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@btr3k Coleco Chameleon needs to be on this show. It has to be.

    • @btr3k
      @btr3k 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@josephjefferies346 That came to my mind as well… though has there ever been a What Happened about something that is basically vaporware? 😅

  • @rickyretriever4503
    @rickyretriever4503 2 ปีที่แล้ว +119

    Actually, the real reason why Fear & Respect was cancelled is because the developers originally had in mind to make the game a narrative shooter akin to something like Max Payne, but Midway instead wanted the game to on an open world (GTA-Styled) direction to which the developers had to decline because they didn't have the recourses or time to make such a drastic change in scope. This was said by one of the game directors who worked on it on her personal website.

    • @rickyrosay33977
      @rickyrosay33977 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      I get why midway wanted them to make it a gta clone since it was the genre at the time and every company was hungry for that gta money and wanted to cash in on the phenomenon sadly money always gets in the way of innovation

  • @jwalton117
    @jwalton117 2 ปีที่แล้ว +285

    Over the last few years Matt has become my favorite TH-camr. Thanks for the great videos

    • @blyat8832
      @blyat8832 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Omfg even bots will spam on a wholesome comment smh

    • @sixxjr
      @sixxjr 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      As a kid I ran a TBFP Facebook fan page lol, crazy to see I'm still here watching him.

  • @alexn8672
    @alexn8672 2 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    Gauntlet and Rampage deserve so much better. It's weird to think that Midway's old PS1 compilations were the thing that introduced young me to retro gaming, and it's tragic to see just how many of their IPs just fizzled.

    • @Randomyoutuber-4831
      @Randomyoutuber-4831 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Honestly ‘rampage: total destruction’ wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t great, the overly inflated roster and repetitive gameplay held it back; but it was still a fun time to be had, tearing down block after block of major world cities. Plus it included a port of rampage and rampage world tour on the disk.
      Frankly they nailed the concept, if they had changed it from being confined to one block at a time to being able to freely roam across a city with the goal of smashing up as much stuff as possible within a time limit (similar to the game play in ‘war of the monsters’ with less PvP) then rampage could have done well in modern day.

    • @Red-rb3sd
      @Red-rb3sd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Randomyoutuber-4831 I also enjoyed playing Total destruction back in the day. What you suggested about it being more open than 1 block would definitely be more interesting!

    • @lovebirdrica22
      @lovebirdrica22 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I love gauntlet

  • @GeminiTasiri
    @GeminiTasiri 2 ปีที่แล้ว +78

    Man, the Fall of Midway had everything. Celebrity-starring games, questionable hiring choices*, desperate trend chasing, underestimating HD development costs, shady deals in upper managment, all in one continuous downward spiral.
    *seriously, what was up with hiring the COO of Playboy? Were they hoping to get some investors purely on the ~scandalous~ headlines that would produce? Especially since he didn't seem to care about reversing the direction Midway was heading...

    • @tafua_a
      @tafua_a 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Business people are convinced that just because you made money for one company, then you can make money for any company, even if that company has nothing to do with the previous one.
      That's how you get stuff like Jim Herd as president of WCW, his previous experience being managing a Pizza Hut (Sting often calls him "The Pizza Guy"), a financial decision so great, it sent WCW on a downward spiral that would close their doors ten years later.

    • @ccricers
      @ccricers 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@tafua_a On the other hand, it worked with Reggie Fils-Aime, who was Senior Director of Marketing at Pizza Hut before he was hired by Nintendo.

    • @alrecks619
      @alrecks619 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@tafua_a a financial decision so great that it let the rival, WWE (then WWF) grabbed all its assets for not a whole lot (about 3 to 5 million compared to original 70+ million)

  • @BryMoon
    @BryMoon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +164

    Midway was one of my favorite developers, so much of my childhood gaming is tied to Midway. Even playing old Midway games today gives me nostalgia. They really died a hero, I clicked this on instant. Maybe an episode on another favorite of mine THQ.

    • @lilliana1605
      @lilliana1605 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I struck gold when I found the midway arcade disk for xbox. It's out of production and I paid $9 for it. All the classics and nostalgia. 😌

    • @smokenojoke8182
      @smokenojoke8182 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      THQ vid would be great

    • @dylano5173
      @dylano5173 ปีที่แล้ว

      Or an episode about how rare went from making the best games of the N64 era to completely falling off

  • @kenmastersX
    @kenmastersX 2 ปีที่แล้ว +162

    I met Ed Boon at a CEO tournament hanging out with sonicfox. I told Ed I wanted a sequel to Smash TV, where afterwards Sonicfox asked "What's Smash TV?" I was never more sad after hearing those words from a young person not knowing about old midway stuff

    • @Phreno_Xeno
      @Phreno_Xeno 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Who's Sonicfox? Nvm..

    • @SpiderInStockings
      @SpiderInStockings 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I think it’s insane how much their catalogue got bolstered after Williams bought them; you have the likes of Joust and Defender and Robotron 2084 and Smash TV it’s insane. Im about Sonicfox’s age and Smash TV is probably my favorite arcade game of all time. Pure violent bliss

    • @greedpower565
      @greedpower565 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      What's a sonicfox?

    • @kenmastersX
      @kenmastersX ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @MLBAstronaut yeah its not a big deal, just wish they would try at doing a budget style reimagining but I feel like it'd be something akin to a mobile game today. Instead of TV it'd have something to do with the internet lol

    • @lancepage1914
      @lancepage1914 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I am not surprised at all Ed Boon didn't know about Smash TV. Yet he worked for Midway at the time, he had absolutely nothing to do with it and he would have been busy AF making Mortal Kombat games from the 90's onwards. I only know what Smash TV is because I played the Genesis port at my brother's friends house in 1992.

  • @sugarfrosted2005
    @sugarfrosted2005 2 ปีที่แล้ว +126

    I don't know why I'm surprised Midway Games got started with midway games.

    • @discoron77
      @discoron77 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I remember as a kid going to some carnival and saw a sign for "midway" games, then being disappointed that Mortal Kombat wasn't there.

    • @GreatMewtwo
      @GreatMewtwo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It surprised me as well when I realized some time ago that their name may be in reference to the midway of the Chicago World's Fair, where such a concept was first demonstrated in 1893.

    • @PsychoCrusher46
      @PsychoCrusher46 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same tho the midway at Vegas I frequent had MK2

  • @MoonSpiritChannel
    @MoonSpiritChannel 2 ปีที่แล้ว +138

    Man, this hurts to see one of the most prolific game companies go down like this.

    • @trinityharris8823
      @trinityharris8823 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Makes me wonder what happened to all the IPs they had. I'd pay good money for a uprez release of Shaolin Monks and The Suffering alone.

    • @lycanwarrior2137
      @lycanwarrior2137 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      You either die a hero or see yourself become the villain as the old saying goes...

  • @btr3k
    @btr3k 2 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    Just came to say it's MS. Pac-Man, not Mrs! At that time in her life, she was living the free-wheeling "Sex and the Pac-City" lifestyle before she met Pac-Man and had a Pac-wedding. Though, really thinking about it further, shouldn't it have been Ms. Pac-Woman? Well, anyway.
    Also not mentioned, Midway squeezed their Pac-Man license for as much as they could - there wasn't just the "unofficial" Ms. Pac-Man released by Midway, but also the "official bootleg" Pac-Man Plus, "good sequel" Jr. Pac-Man, "okay pinball game" Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man, "bad video-pinball game" Baby Pac-Man, and "WTF is this" Professor Pac-Man, all in the span of a few years.
    On top of that Midway also released Namco developed Super Pac-Man and Pac-Land... that's a lot of Pac-Man.

  • @marcocamacho2013
    @marcocamacho2013 2 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    Your videos are the equivalent of the Saturday morning cartoons. Just love to see one of your videos every Saturday morning-ish
    Thanks for the great content.

  • @shadowleon659
    @shadowleon659 2 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    Midway is a company that I really miss.

    • @schemar17
      @schemar17 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Missway

    • @lancepage1914
      @lancepage1914 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I don't miss Midway at all, only the 90s itself. But all good things must come to an end.

  • @ducklabsgaming4676
    @ducklabsgaming4676 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    I was working at GT in these last couple of years publishing Midway stuff. I QA tested all those Quake, Doom, Cruisin' etc console versions! Some of it was decent obviously but man some of their stuff was getting rough towards the end there 🤕

  • @darkchris66
    @darkchris66 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    I live in Chicago and I’m not far where Midway games used to be. I remember always being super excited passing by their studio and thinking what MK game they’re probably cooking up next.
    It was sad when they closed down and their office was used by someone else.
    Fun fact: when Midway Williams split, Williams moved one block from the old Midway office (where they have a towering and shiny building) and Netherrealm Games (currently making MK games) actually moved 2 blocks away from their old Midway office. Their new office building is really much better with the MK props by the main lobby to take quick pics.

  • @Mystic-Aidan
    @Mystic-Aidan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    Every time I remember Arctic Thunder (my favorite racer of all time), I’m forced to remember that Midway is dead, and we’ll probably never get an Arctic Thunder sequel. The agony is never going to leave until we finally get a new one.
    If only we never lost Midway…

    • @ctgmighty7039
      @ctgmighty7039 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Most likely not a remake but there is Arctic Thunder: Hurricane for the x360

    • @NeoStrayCat
      @NeoStrayCat 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@ctgmighty7039 That's Hydro Thunder, but yeah, Arctic Thunder is some good stuff, if it only had a modern re-release tho. But its stuck to Arcade and both PS2/Xbox.

  • @TheScarface43
    @TheScarface43 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    I never realised how much I needed a new "The Suffering" game until now, Jesus Christ

  • @Big_Z14
    @Big_Z14 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Psi-Ops is almost unknown at this point and The Suffering is somewhat obscure too, but both of those games were absolutely fantastic. Sad to think that it's likely nothing will ever be done with those IPs.

  • @slymm76
    @slymm76 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Hey Matt, long time listener first time poster! I used to work in QA for midway and worked on Stranglehold . It had a lot of potential . I also did voice work on blitz and DC v MK....they have a lot of great ip they should revisit

    • @NoirMouse
      @NoirMouse 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Oh shit, who'd ya voice in Mk Vs. DC? I played that quite a bit back in the day.

    • @spiralgodking9877
      @spiralgodking9877 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Who'd you voice in DC v MK?

    • @slymm76
      @slymm76 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@NoirMouse random grunts and yells on dc v mk and players noises and shouts like" hit me im open" on blitz.. also i was a cofounder a record label that put out the song broken dreams which was on the blitz soundtrack

    • @NoirMouse
      @NoirMouse 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@slymm76 I haven't played Blitz so I can't comment on that, but neat dude! Hope you've been doing well.

    • @afterthought55
      @afterthought55 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I can't figure out why Stranglehold wasn't a huge success. It was an awesome game!

  • @chillworksdev4145
    @chillworksdev4145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    This feels like the season finale boss that all other episodes have been ramping up towards.

  • @Sabeythang
    @Sabeythang 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    I would have loved to hear you mention Midway's bizarre-but-welcome decision to localize the first two Shadow Hearts games. RPGs are so far from their usual output, there HAS to be an interesting story there.

    • @Brolly-hh7hx
      @Brolly-hh7hx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      I'd think they wanted a slice from that JRPG boom that came along with FFVII, Shadow Hearts released very close to FFX so that momentum still hadn't died down.

  • @jjonohjamson9540
    @jjonohjamson9540 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    WB gots tons of IPs, more than what they'd know what to do with, obscure Midway IPs are on the bottom of their priority list. The best they'd get is probably cameos in that WB Multiverses game.

  • @joesomenumbers
    @joesomenumbers 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I remember War: Final Assault. Me and my friends played it after school a lot. You could save your score and profile and log in every time you played. If you got to a certain rank they were supposed to send you a t shirt if you sent away. My friend did. They never sent him his shirt.

  • @turretnyle
    @turretnyle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    Man, it's a shame what really happened to Midway, considering their amazing arcade legacy. CarnEvil is still one of my all-time favorite coin-op games, and I would still love to see that and all of the other Midway games that never got a home port get the attention they deserve!

    • @Walid-mk4jo
      @Walid-mk4jo 13 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Yeah all they do now is just milk the mk franchise since they are a subsidiary of WB now

  • @TheAssirra
    @TheAssirra 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    So Midway actually owned a lot but threw it all away due to poor management.
    Can only imagine how standard employees must have felt.

    • @lancepage1914
      @lancepage1914 ปีที่แล้ว

      If you weren't Ed Boon it must have been pretty shit.

  • @caitlineder6950
    @caitlineder6950 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Growing up in suburban Chicago gave me a soft spot for Midway in particular, and their story has always been so sad to me. I think the city could be a great hub for games and I hope we can build on the success that studios like Jackbox have found, and that Midway once had.
    Also: CarnEvil deserved better

  • @tjoconnell2524
    @tjoconnell2524 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I think a good what happened episode could be about jaws. That movie had a hellish production, but hey, what came out of that is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever.

    • @djpegao
      @djpegao 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And the sequels almost ruined it

  • @James-gj8rn
    @James-gj8rn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Now you're adding entire companies to the series! I like this! More please :)

  • @HarriHaffi
    @HarriHaffi 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Cool!
    Wish there were more videos out there about Midways games.
    Really liked the gauntlet remake and Mortal Kombat usually comes with bonus games. Bonus games in fighting games are nice.

  • @Hypno_BPM
    @Hypno_BPM 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    the days that Midway and THQ closed down, a part of my childhood died

    • @rickyrosay33977
      @rickyrosay33977 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      We need a THQ whathappun episode

  • @pollo20x6
    @pollo20x6 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Midway was such a huge part of my childhood. Midway Arcade Treasures 1 and 2 got so much use growing up

  • @oakleygleason7145
    @oakleygleason7145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    I was born in 98, but I grew up on the Midway Arcade Treasures compilations, as well as a lot of Midway's (admittedly mostly bad) lineup of games during the PS2 era. I really do miss a lot of their classic games.

  • @chadalexander1924
    @chadalexander1924 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Pinball didn't really tank until around the mid 90s. You had from Bally: The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, from Data East: Jurassic Park, from Williams: Indiana Jones. There was a mini-Renaissance. But it was in 1995/1996 when numbers started to drop because of loss in demand and the revenue arcades were still getting from The Addams Family (they were still producing them well into 1994, creating a Gold version for making 20,000 units, the highest selling solid state machine of all time). Even with Pinball 2000 in the late 90s, Williams was actually profitable in two full years. But it wasn't enough.
    But other than that, awesome video!

  • @smokey3504
    @smokey3504 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Can we get a What Happened on the original Street Fighter? Nobody I've talked to about it had ever heard of it or played it, then suddenly its sequel took the world by storm. Of course I've played it on the 30th anniversary collection, but that only further begged the question as to why they decided to make a sequel to THAT thing. Iconic in its own right, but a total mystery

  • @itsthesoup11
    @itsthesoup11 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I’m all here for the healthy doses of Cruisin’ USA music, Matt! 🤙😆🎶🎶🎶

  • @kingbeastben1465
    @kingbeastben1465 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    I miss midway, the games I love from the company is killer instinct, rampage 2 and mortal kombat 3.

    • @tedjomuljono3052
      @tedjomuljono3052 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah, and donkey kong country!

    • @neo1711
      @neo1711 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ???

    • @kingbeastben1465
      @kingbeastben1465 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @KTV 4U that too, but din't capcom made it?

    • @tedjomuljono3052
      @tedjomuljono3052 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@kingbeastben1465 midway also didn't make killer instinct

    • @kingbeastben1465
      @kingbeastben1465 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@tedjomuljono3052 it said it in the arcade intro

  • @lucasdellamaggiore
    @lucasdellamaggiore 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Please do a what happun on Acclaim, now that's an interesting story

    • @nathanlopez5610
      @nathanlopez5610 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      He kinda (sorta) did that when he talked about Acclaim in the Flophouse Files, but I also wouldn’t mind him tackling Acclaim too.

  • @elhazthorn918
    @elhazthorn918 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Still hoping for a Quintet What Happened. I loved their games on the SNES.

  • @AnferneeMyers
    @AnferneeMyers 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    This show is so damn cultured. I would be honored to work with Matt, someday.

  • @SoftwareAgentsTV
    @SoftwareAgentsTV 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    3:35 Williams bought Midway and more or less turned it into its video game development wing. The video game crash of 1983 lead to the Williams execs laying off most of their software department. Both companies had a strong rivalry with each other and had their eye on each other. The Midway buy-out was particularly nasty as their entire software department was removed except for Brian Colin and Jeff Nauman.

  • @deconyus3412
    @deconyus3412 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    10:25 matt you owe me for reminding me Dr. Muto exists, the most early 00’s game that’s ever existed.

  • @HaefentheZebra
    @HaefentheZebra 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I remember when I was a kid passing by their offices in Corsicana (Formerly Tradewest offices) every so often and just being so in awe that they were right there. Even if I didn’t know it wasn’t their whole operation at the time.

    • @GreatMewtwo
      @GreatMewtwo 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Similarly, as an adult, I would drive around the Miami areas where Gametek and Rare had offices. I am still blown away that Gametek was based right in my hometown.

  • @PeteSkerritt
    @PeteSkerritt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This is great work (as always), but it hurt to watch/relive. I’ve been a *huge* fan of Midway’s releases, dating all the way back to the 1970s (Sea Wolf).
    When Midway went belly up, it was tough to swallow. Seeing WB snap up so many quality IPs and do nothing with most of them has repeatedly stung. I can imagine how an updated version of The Grid would be with online play and today’s console power. But nope!
    At least we’ll always have Midway arcade compilations.

  • @Damian_1989
    @Damian_1989 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Damn, that sucks. Psi-Ops i think would benefit greatly if Nightdive could remaster it or something!

  • @DoorsInTheLabyrinth
    @DoorsInTheLabyrinth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This Is Vegas also sunk Surreal Software, who did two of my favorite games ever, being the Drakan series. I want more than anything for someone else to get the license and do a Drakan 3. In the days of big open world action adventure fantasy games, Drakan would be an amazing fit!

    • @jakesoros2376
      @jakesoros2376 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Honestly, I wish there was a playable build of This Is Vegas out there. I spoke with a play tester for it and, for all its problems, the story was actually quite good, and the soundtrack was surprisingly decent.

  • @jeremyabbott4537
    @jeremyabbott4537 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    God, The Suffering was one of my favorite PS2 games and it actually gave young me nightmares! It's a shame it won't even get a rerelease :/

  • @Alurkerdood
    @Alurkerdood 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I wouldn’t mind a straight up remaster of Gauntlet Legends/Dark Legacy. The new Gauntlet game isn’t what I was hoping it was.

  • @CircadianRhythmm
    @CircadianRhythmm 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You should definitely check out dr. Muto one of midways last original IPs on this show. Underrated to me but I’m sure you’ll find tons of material lol

  • @ChrisSaturn
    @ChrisSaturn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    According to Steve Golson from the Ms. Pac-Man dev team (th-cam.com/video/rhM8NAMW_VQ/w-d-xo.html), Namco was aware of the Ms. Pac-Man development from the get-go. The idea that Midway made Ms. Pac-Man without Namco's knowledge is just an old myth.

  • @gregoryberrycone
    @gregoryberrycone 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    midway games had such a distinct look and feel to them, they definitely carried on that bold arcade feeling to the end. their ps2 era titles are so underrated, the mk games from that time, gauntlet dark legacy and psi ops were all so much fun

  • @Nic5Cyprus
    @Nic5Cyprus 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It's sad that besides Mortal Kombat basically the only Midway game released by Warner was the Rampage 2018 arcade game. Not even collections, nothing

    • @eyalrephaeli6833
      @eyalrephaeli6833 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      WB also released Spy Hunter in 2012 and Gauntlet in 2014

  • @Vicky-Hugh-Martini
    @Vicky-Hugh-Martini 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    As a kid, it was fascinating seeing and playing Cruis'n World at my local HEB store (Texas grocery chain) in the 2000s before they rid of the arcades the following decade. I don't know how in my head I mixed the symbols of Midway and the defunct Oldsmobile.

    • @rickyrosay33977
      @rickyrosay33977 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Nice to see a fellow Texan in the comments the closest HEB to me is 30 minutes away they also used to have a Cruisi’n world arcade machine in that one I always choose the blue mustang looking car

  • @lilliana1605
    @lilliana1605 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Thank you for covering this studio. midway produced some of my favorite childhood games and I always wondered what happened.
    I had to comebacks and comment this..........Wtf is WB doing?

  • @axelzxsh1107
    @axelzxsh1107 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The best way to end the video, with the song of the franchise that survived from Midway's bankruptcy

  • @Silvershire
    @Silvershire ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Gauntlet: Dark Legacy was a huge part of my childhood. I’d love it to be brought to modern consoles

  • @Sore5791
    @Sore5791 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    They really need to make another "The Suffering" game. The last one had such an abrupt ending.

  • @20thoughts
    @20thoughts 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This DOES make me want a Wha Happun on Rare - going from raunchy bedroom coding to hard-as-nails NES games to literally making Nintendo games for a while and theeeeen *poof*. You did already do Nuts & Bolts - think there's enough material on the company itself to justify a full dev video?

    • @nman551
      @nman551 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes I agree

    • @corey2232
      @corey2232 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Now they're the Sea of Thieves developer. Tbh, glad they hit something successful again after all this time.

  • @Mateus_Carvalho
    @Mateus_Carvalho 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I remember the past couple of years where people kept saying that Midway was somehow being kept alive via Mortal Kombat. That said, I wonder if Midway would've done anything with the old games if they were still somehow around. Like... WB obviously didn't do much.

  • @SlicingDicingGamingENT
    @SlicingDicingGamingENT 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Growing up in Chicago Midway had a very special place in my heart. I remember when I found out they were based in the city it made me love their games even more. NetherRealm and Iron Galaxy carry the touch now but Midway will forever be Goated 💯

  • @ratchetxtreme6591
    @ratchetxtreme6591 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    A wha happun done on a whole game publisher, now that’s definitely a rare sight to see.

  • @levithewizard
    @levithewizard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Absolutely wild, midway ruled the arcades in the 90s (in us at least) but failed to bridge the gap. It always happens when you have non gamer/developers making the decisions for the company they don't ever understand the industry.

  • @Choralone422
    @Choralone422 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Ahh Midway. I'm glad to see this video! What's here mirrors what I've heard about them as well.
    I have 2 friends who worked for Midway (one is a bonus character in the arcade version of 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge!) in Chicago in the 90s into the early 2000s Even then they spoke of mis-management, spending issues and a real lack of focus at the corporate level. Neither friend has worked in the games industry again after leaving Midway.

  • @oscarzxn4067
    @oscarzxn4067 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Speaking of confusing branding stuff and Atari, I have alwys been confused with the split of Atari into the forever doomed creators of consoles and computers that went bankrupt after the Jaguar, and Atari games, really weird that the companies shared the same name.

    • @andywilliammockzek
      @andywilliammockzek 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's a very long story. But basically what happened is that Atari then owner (Warner communications. Who successor time warner (through wb games) would end up owning midway) sold the home console and computer division to tramell computers( who changed their name to Atari corporation) whlie they kept the Atari game name...which they then sold to namco for a short while. Then they sold it time Warner interactive back in 93 then sold it to Midway in 95

  • @hamsandwichson
    @hamsandwichson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Every teenage quarter I had that didn't go into Little Debbie snack cakes went into either NBA Jam, MK 2 or T2. Especially T2. That was an absolute quarter cruncher.

  • @vangoghsseveredear
    @vangoghsseveredear 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It's shocking how incompetent Midway was. They went from being arcade kings to completely videogame illiterate. So many head scratching moments, man.

  • @gamefreak3000dx
    @gamefreak3000dx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    To this day I'm still heartbroken about the cancelation of fear and respect. I was so fucking hyped for this game as a kid and I'm pretty sure I still have that game informer.

  • @thespicyboys3252
    @thespicyboys3252 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank god mortal kombat survived

  • @foriarez944
    @foriarez944 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You know what could be good to relaunch nowadays? The Grid, just give it online multiplayer and that's it.
    (I just want to play The Grid again, i miss The Grid)

    • @Tazzer88
      @Tazzer88 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I feel you on that one so much! Why did that one have to be an arcade-only title?

  • @2025fahaddenseje
    @2025fahaddenseje ปีที่แล้ว +2

    7:57 Correction: DOOM 64 is not a port, but it's still such an fantastic game.
    IMO, I actually think it's the best classic doom.

  • @Crocogator
    @Crocogator 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Ughhhh. RIP Psi-Ops. I keep forgetting that was Midway.

  • @DakoGuyver
    @DakoGuyver 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    If they don't want to do anything with those IPs I really wish they'd just give them to someone that wanted to actually make them. However dragons don't like to share their horde do they.

  • @lachesis1541
    @lachesis1541 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    A lot of Midways arcade games were playable in lego dimensions actually

  • @GamerSlyRatchet1
    @GamerSlyRatchet1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have fond memories of Dr. Muto and Psi-Ops, even if the former wasn’t that good.

  • @CliffDiverBOA
    @CliffDiverBOA 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Ed Boon tweeting that Psi-Ops deserves a reboot gives me a sliver of hope.

  • @AidenMcFadden
    @AidenMcFadden 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You should dive deeper into defunct companies, such as Acclaim or THQ.

  • @thesegaguy6279
    @thesegaguy6279 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I was literally thinking about Midway lately and working on a convention panel about them. I still miss them to this day. Also, holy crap, I forgot all about Fear & Respect!!

  • @dyll_pyckle
    @dyll_pyckle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Matt...there is literally no way. How did you read my mind and make this video??? I watched your MK vs DC vid the other day and wondered "Gee, a What Happened on Midway would be super interesting!"
    GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

  • @videosthatwhatever
    @videosthatwhatever 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    7:58 Standing Here I Realize

  • @saurontakeson8403
    @saurontakeson8403 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    No sane human being played the Suffering Matt. Seriously... I mean a few crazy people like myself beat the game, sure, but few sane people ever played it.
    Then there is the Suffering 2.

  • @Alex-lc5dz
    @Alex-lc5dz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Midway? More like All the way to wha happun.

  • @mops515
    @mops515 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I wouldve gotten that Vegas game... a shame.
    Wonder if anyone tried making an open world gambling game like that

  • @johnnyzero8853
    @johnnyzero8853 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Midway died a hero.

  • @mbrown7361
    @mbrown7361 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is Vegas. Dude I remember seeing that in magazines back in high school in like 05. I was so pumped. Years went by and nada.
    I still hold out it'll be resurrected one day

    • @jakesoros2376
      @jakesoros2376 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      So do I. 99% of all the voice lines were already recorded for the game, and the story was mostly finished, with just some final tweaks necessary. But there's no way Warner Brothers will ever let that game or its story leak, given that Arnold Schwarzenegger was parodied in the game, and they don't want to harm his ego.

  • @ArkadaTheDergon
    @ArkadaTheDergon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    man these guys made some killer racing games. hydro thunder was amazing

    • @PaddletailPhilly
      @PaddletailPhilly 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It was. That one day I first played the arcade cabinet when I was 8 or 9, I got home and immediately constructed a little race course with wooden blocks. I even used a couple of Hot Wheels speedboats in it XD

  • @sevach
    @sevach 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Seems like they were big believer in expensive splashy "names" and that bit them in the ass.
    Had they kept their budget reasonable and focus on solid games they'd still be around.

  • @owenbaker2.084
    @owenbaker2.084 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    The long awaited episode of What Happened that’s decided to Midway.

    • @LSSTmusic
      @LSSTmusic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm gonna need a wha happun on this comment because this is gibberish

  • @GoldMetalSonic
    @GoldMetalSonic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Probably the most Midway game outside of WB's hands is pretty much Cruis'n Blast for arcades and being heavily expanded on Switch. The original team lead by creator and director Eugene Jarvis at his dev Raw Thrills came back to create Cruis'n Blast and was once again directed by Eugene himself. Nintendo always owned the IP even since day 1, they just let Midway have their, ahem, "way" with it.
    Where as Killer Instinct, of course going to Microsoft when they bought Rare in 2002, did get a revival on Xbox One thanks to Double Helix, but had to change hands during the DLC's run when the team got bought by Amazon, then being taken over by Iron Galaxy for the rest of the DLC IIRC.
    Also Spy Hunter DID get a brief low-budget revival on 3DS and Vita via TT Fusion back in 2012. Didn't turn out so hot IIRC.

  • @danielferrieri7434
    @danielferrieri7434 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I guess they got bad "Midway" through their career

  • @jucaafonso
    @jucaafonso ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Midway was on fire during the N64 era. Played the shit out of SF Rush 2049 battle mode and Gauntlet Legends.

  • @JellyJman
    @JellyJman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Only took 1:32 to get to the "it was the style at the time" Simpsons clip but it was a different joke in the clip. Well done Matt for subverting expectations!

  • @stixc
    @stixc ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Revisiting this video as a fan of Midway's 2000s outings (Area 51, Spyhunter, Psi-Ops, Stranglehold, etc) this makes me depressed considering those games were actually really amazing and that there's no modern remaster, re-release, or anything RELATED to these IPs except for Mortal Kombat. I really wish Warner Bros. can just sell off these IPs to Nightdive or someone trustworthy to handle these games because those games are legendary and deserve love by any means necessary.

  • @MrToontastic
    @MrToontastic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Midway DID get arcade ports in Lego Dimensions, and Spy Hunter got a remake/reboot thing on 3DS/PS VITA while under Warner Bros, But ultimately, yeah... Warner has done nothing with all these classic IPs and promising next-gen titles. It breaks my heart... I don’t want just another Midway Arcade Treasures on consoles or mobile, I want new Midway games. Mortal Kombat can’t hold them forever.

  • @MetalSocks
    @MetalSocks 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I just want a new Smash TV game. Just no bones about it, twin stick wave action with an announcer telling me I got a brand new VCR to play with friends.....rip in pice Midway