Last week, cdv Software Entertainment announced that the Xbox 360 edition of Ascaron Entertainment's Sacred 2: Fallen Angel had gone gold and was expected to ship alongside the PlayStation 3 edition this May. That game's release apparently couldn't come soon enough, however, as Ascaron confirmed today that it has filed for bankruptcy protection in its native Germany. "After four years developing Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, an extended development delay made it necessary for Ascaron to go into administration," the developer said in a statement. "Even with the high personal commitment of all Ascaron employees, it was not possible to make up for this delay." The German developer also said that it has entered into negotiations with "several well-known interested parties to discuss a positive takeover." Ascaron noted that its bankruptcy filing will not impact the release of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, saying that development on both console editions has now wrapped and reconfirming their May release. Ascaron's Heiko tom Felde also emphasized that the PC edition of Sacred 2--released in November 2008--will see no interruption with its online multiplayer component or SecuROM game activation software. Indeed, assuming Ascaron resolves its monetary issues, the game maker said it is already at work on an expansion to the PC game. The developer also confirmed that it has begun development on a full-fledged follow-up, Sacred 3. No other details on either project were revealed.
I hate this kind of news. I don't want to see any game developers to be bankrupt.
