This press release announces Midway's cancellation of a project that was in the works at its Austin, TX studio. The project was never announced, which normally might lead to thinking this was an Onion story, except the cancellation has the very real negative side-effect of costing a number of people their jobs, as many as 90 if we read correctly:

Midway Games Inc. today announced that it has canceled an as-yet-unannounced project in production in its Austin, TX, facility, and as a result Midway will have a reduction in force of a portion of the affected development team. The studio will remain open and will continue to operate both the Company’s Central Outsourcing Group as well as two teams that are working on unnamed prototype projects intended to expand Midway’s portfolio of new intellectual property.

This decision will allow Midway to maximize its development resources and apply manpower and capital to projects with the highest chances of success. The workforce reduction will affect approximately 90 of the 130 people currently employed in the studio. For further details on the reduction and the financial impact, please reference the report filed today on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Matt Booty, interim CEO and president of Midway Games Inc. commented, “While this was a very difficult decision, we feel it was the right thing to do for the future of Midway. We view every game as an investment that must meet certain standards for quality, scheduling, and profitability. Midway remains committed to producing the highest quality entertainment, as evidenced by our strong holiday line-up which includes TNA iMPACT!, Blitz: The League II, and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe starring a team of MK characters and some of the most recognizable DC Comics personalities such as Batman, The Joker, and Superman.”