Warner Bros. Interactive is set to complete the acquisition of troubled Midway Games, but is it the last hurrah of an outmoded publisher?

Warner Bros. was the sole bidder for the majority of Midway’s assets, including its Chicago and Seattle studios and the ubiquitous Mortal Kombat franchise. The $33 million sale has since been approved by a court hearing, while Midway’s Newcastle and San Diego studios, which were not included in the deal along with a number of ageing sports titles, are set to close in the next 60 days if a buyer doesn’t come forward.

The question is, will gamers really care? The company was huge in the eighties, producing endless fun via it’s arcade division – but with the death of coin-ops, Midway has become something of a dinosaur, still relying on its biggest franchise, Mortal Kombat.

The game was revolutionary when it first debuted, but in this age of sophisticated narrative, photo-realistic graphics and the genius of Street Fighter IV, it feels old hat, a relic of another gaming age. However, despite a lukewarm critical reception for last year’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, it still sold almost 2 million copies.

More discerning gamers will have seen through the crossover, as well as the GTA-stylings of Wheelman, another franchise given new life by the Warner buyout - while we’re sad to see any developer in difficulty, somewhere along the line Midway lost it’s touch.