Despite a lot of hard work by a variety of people, Midway Newcastle was closed today, leaving about 80 people unemployed. No bidder emerged to buy the studio that was responsible for the recently released Wheelman and the in-development title, Necessary Force.

Matt Booty, the current Midway CEO, traveled to the U.K. to deliver the news in person to the remaining Midway Newcastle employees. Midway had been seeking a buyer for the studio and kept employees informed of the situation, so at least they were aware that the clock was ticking.

The Wheelman IP was transferred to Warner Brothers Interactive as part of its purchase of the majority of Midway’s core assets; but there seems to be at least some dispute over Wheelman that involves Vin Diesel’s Tigon Studios, which our sources claim has yet to be resolved. On the other hand, the title, Necessary Force, that was in development at Midway Newcastle was not part of the Warner Brother Interactive transaction and still remains available for purchase at this time.

According to our sources, employees were told that while the studio was shut down today and the employees laid off, the company was still seeking a buyer for the studio and the Necessary Force IP and would continue to look for a possible solution whereby the studio could be reopened. While the reopening of the studio is possible, our sources claim that this sort of outcome is remote, at best.