Confirmation reports doing the rounds today indicate that all employees of 38 Studios and developer Big Huge Games have been let go following a chaotic series of events and an expensive period of development.

While the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer hasn’t yet sent out a formal announcement, and the studios haven’t been closed outright, employees of both 38 and Big Huge have taken to Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets to tell everybody about their recent departures from the studios.

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A newly released trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning answers a very interesting question that you may have, up until now, been afraid to ask:

What do heroes do in their spare time?

In the video below, you’ll be able to catch sight of the different skills and crafting options available in this action RPG, and see some of them in action as heroes talk themselves out of tense situations, sneak around in darkness, and forge weapons:

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Releasing on February 7th in the US and February 10th in Europe and the UK, the fantastic action RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will act as the very first release resulting from the combined forces of 38 Studios, Big Huge Games and publishing partner EA - we saw it in person and it looks amazing!

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In an entry to a fascinating series of ‘Hero’s Guide to Amalur’ videos, EA and Big Huge Games attempt to explain the far-reaching implications and curious inner workings of ‘destiny and fate’ in the publisher/developer pair’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

We say ‘attempt’ because there’s a lot of information to take in, and even though it seems very simple and easy-to-use on the surface, the possibilities resulting from the action RPG’s allowance to sculpt and build a character of your choosing has us reeling.

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After the legendary Ken Rolston subversively berated videogame marketers and reviewers for the clichés they use in their descriptions of games during an awesome presentation at EA’s press conference ahead of gamescom this year, El33tonline had the chance to attend a demo for Rolston’s latest masterwork, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

We were taken through the demonstration by lead designer Ian Frazier, as well as Big Huge Games studio general manager Sean Dunn, and while we were told that it was difficult to reveal everything that’s in the game in only 30 minutes, together the pair did a great job of introducing us to the massive open-world RPG stylings of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

Continue reading El33tonline’s preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

The first ever trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has been released to reveal some pretty impressive RPG action, with epic spells, hideous creatures, sprawling dungeons and fantasy lands all present and accounted for.

Mix in a bit of dramatic commentary, brutal melee combat and intricate runes and you’ve got Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning from Big Huge Games, 38 Studios and EA.

But it’s so much more than that.

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38 Studios, a self-proclaimed entertainment and intellectual property (IP) creation company, founded by former professional baseball player Curt Schilling, has announced its recent acquisition of Big Huge Games (Rise of Nations) from publisher THQ, receiving all of the company’s IP, assets, technology and current in-development projects in the process.

THQ had already threatened to close or sell Big Huge Games less than a year after buying the company, after which a round of staff layoffs were experienced at the RTS developer while continuing to pursue a sale.

Enter 38 Studios (looking to acquire technology to help power the studios’ in-development online fantasy IP, Copernicus) who saw Big Huge Games as a natural fit for their team and decided to buy the company.

The staff still with Big Huge Games will remain in their home of Timonium, Maryland, but will be absorbed into 38 Studios.

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After the revelation late last month that THQ was set to either close or sell off Rise of Nations developer Big Huge Games, more bad news surrounding the developer has begun circulating, regarding lay-offs that have hit studio.

THQ have confirmed the lay-offs, but say they will continue with their announced plans for the developer, as a spokesperson relays the bad news:

“Yesterday, some of the staff were notified that they were not going to be part of the future direction of the studio. We are not providing exact headcounts at this time.

“We continue to pursue a sale of Big Huge Games.”

Financially troubled publisher, THQ, has announced its plans to either sell off or close veteran PC game developer, Big Huge Games (Rise of Nations series), as well as spin two of their internal studios, Heavy Iron and Incinerator, into independent development houses. THQ sent out the following statement:

“As part of THQ’s previously announced business realignment and related headcount reduction plans that targeted cost reductions of $220 million, including a reduction in workforce of 600 people worldwide, THQ today notified the staff at two of its development studios that they will be spun out as independent companies: Heavy Iron in Los Angeles, CA, and Incinerator in Carlsbad, CA.

”In addition, THQ informed the staff at its Big Huge Games studio in Timonium, MD, that it plans to close the studio if a sale is not completed in the near future. These actions were unfortunate but were necessitated by the difficult economic environment.”

Big Huge Games was founded in 2000 by veteran developers Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds and worked on a variety of entries to their Rise of Nations series, as well as working on an Age of Empires III expansion pack, The Asian Dynasties, and the Xbox LIVE Arcade conversion of Catan.

The company was then acquired by THQ in early 2008, ostensibly to provide financial stability for the developer. Let’s hope they don’t go the way of the other great RTS developer, Ensemble Studios.