With Solitary Warner Bid, No Auction For Midway

Bankrupt publisher Midway won't see the bidding war it hoped for, as Warner Bros confirms that its $33 million offer is the only one on the table for the Mortal Kombat house. "No other bids came in, so there's not going to be an auction," Midway rep Geoff Mogilner told the Los Angeles Times. This doesn't mean that there aren't some bumps in the road to a resolution at last for Midway. Although the highest-profile dispute surrounding the company, between majority stakeholder Mark Thomas and Midway's bondholders, has been resolved via settlement, the producer of the 1995 Mortal Kombat film filed suit last week, claiming his IP rights are at stake. While Larry Kasanoff and his Threshold Entertainment want credit for fleshing out the fighting franchise's world and porfolio of characters, Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios is also reportedly seeking $200,000 for Diesel's involvement in Wheelman. Not included in Warner's bid are Midway's San Diego studio and the TNA franchise. The publisher's Newcastle studio, developer of the recently-released Wheelman is also excluded from the bid, although Warner is expected to keep that franchise and associated assets. The acquisition must be approved by a court, and Warner is entitled to a $100,000 court expenses fee if it doesn't seal the deal by July 15.