League of Geeks – the studio behind Armello, Jumplight Odyssey, and Solium Infernum – has introduced it is going into “hibernation for the foreseeable future”, following its determination to chop 50 p.c of its workforce on the finish of final 12 months.
Again in December, the studio mentioned it had been affected by a mixture of “quickly rising operation prices, a worsening AUD/USD trade charge, poor early entry gross sales [of starship management sim Jumplight Odyssey], and the unprecedented withdrawal of funding alternatives throughout the trade”. Alongside layoffs on the studio, it confirmed improvement of Jumplight Odyssey can be paused “indefinitely”.
Since months on and the studio’s fortunes have clearly not improved. In a submit on the League of Geeks web site, studio co-founders Ty Carey, Blake Mizzi, and Trent Kusters wrote, “The financial state of affairs in video games being what it’s proper now, we’ve got made the choice to place LoG into hibernation for the foreseeable future and take some prolonged day without work.”
“The overwhelming majority of our group have moved onto thrilling new endeavours,” the submit continued, “and people who stay are going to take a nicely deserved break over the subsequent few months.”
“We’re unsure when (or if) we’ll resurrect this nice beast, however we’re extremely pleased with all we have achieved, each within the experiences we have crafted collectively, the nice builders who made LoG a world-class improvement atmosphere, the friends we impressed alongside the way in which, and naturally, these neighborhood members who believed in what we made, how we made it, and supported us fiercely in these convictions. Now it is time for relaxation, some play, and different alternatives.”
Though the studio is winding down, all its video games will stay on-line and proceed to be supported – energetic improvement, nonetheless, will stop. Jumplight Odyssey will, inevitably, stay on an indefinite hiatus, however the group nonetheless desires to convey it out of early entry over the subsequent 12 months. “That is unlikely to be the absolutely realised v1.0 launch we had initially deliberate,” it notes, “although we’ll attempt to discover some strategy to tuck the sport in with our restricted, remaining sources.”
Growth on turn-based grand technique recreation Solium Infernum may also come to an in depth, with League of Geeks noting, “Gross sales income can’t fund additional energetic improvement or DLC.” Nevertheless, the studio says it nonetheless has a “couple of treats” up its sleeve, alongside bug fixes and minor content material – so gamers can anticipate “a lil replace or two” earlier than factor wrap up for good.
As for Armello, the studio’s first recreation launched again in 2015, it’s going to “proceed to cruise alongside because it has for the previous few years, rotating seasonal content material and offering successful of heroism for our furry adventurers”. The Armello Board Recreation, in the meantime, will not be affected.
“Makin’ videogames is difficult, excruciatingly laborious these previous few years,” the studio’s submit concludes, “however the sensible, pretty folks we received to do it with, each inside LoG and out, made this loopy enterprise price it each single day.”
