De-Registering a Large Enterprise

I'm considering de-registering an enterprise with 900 corps. A large number of the corps are in my own countries and hundreds are in other players countries. If I do de-reg do all the corps stay alive indefinitely as Gamemaster corps? Do the corps just close up after a time period? The enterprise is Dana on WG, it's on the cash market for minimum bid if anyone wants it. If the auction expires without bids will prob just de-reg. Thanks.

I found out the hard way that they they do indeed die and go to corp heaven. <smile>

I thought they would become gamemaster corps; mine did not.

Thanks, someone did bid but good to know anyway. Not sure who it was that bid but he/she got a boatload of all sorts of assets and cash for 200 GC.