When Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was released in 2012, it was received with high praise. Even today, users rate the game 9/10 on Steam. It sold 1.3 million copies within 90 days of its release, which for first-time game developers, Big Huge Games and 38 Studios, would have been a major success. They even released a trailer for an MMORPG called Project Copernicus the same year, suggesting they had plans for a multi-platform universe.

However, all 379 of 38 Studio's staffers were laid-off in May of 2012, including its subsidiary, Big Huge Games. The company then filed for bankruptcy following reports that 38 Studios was unable to make payroll to its employees, and its $1.125 million check to the state of Rhode Island bounced due to insufficient funds. In short, despite the overwhelming success of Kingdoms of Amalur, 38 Studios had no money.

Related: 10 Games That Bankrupted Their Studios

The collapse of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games is largely the result of a failed experiment in states directly funding game development. Rhode Island issued $75 million in bonds to attract the game studios from Maynard, Massachusetts, claiming the move would generate hundreds of jobs in the state. Although selling 1.3 million copies of a game within three months of its release would normally be deemed a success, Rhode Island's governor, Lincoln Chafee, claimed Kingdoms of Amalur needed to sell 3 million copies just to break even with the loan.

The "hundreds of jobs" promised turned into hundreds of lay-offs and employees stiffed their final paychecks. Now, THQ Nordic has announced plans to re-release Kingdoms of Amalur under the title, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, but will the original game's creators and developers get a cut of its profits?

As of now, it doesn't seem like they will. THQ Nordic purchased the rights to Kingdoms of Amalur from its original developers in 2018, making EA the only remaining party with rights the game. This means the founders of the game studios that originally developed the game likely received a payment from THQ Nordic, but it's unknown whether all the employees who worked on it got any compensation.

Since Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning was only recently announced, there's a chance THQ Nordic may disclose more information on where profits from sales will go. However, it's likely all proceeds will go to the publisher, developer Kaiko Games, and owners of the platforms it releases on instead.

Next: Kingdoms of Amalur Remaster Launches On August 18