End of line for Onoma

Square Enix Montreal, which recently changed its name to Onoma, has announced that it is to shut ??down service for four of its mobile titles. The quartet of games will officially end service on January 4, 2023, ahead of the studio's announced closure.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows; Deus EX GO; Arena Battle Champions; and Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes will be removed from the iOS App Store and the Android Store on December 1. Additionally, all in-gam??e purchases hav?e been suspended. On January 4, all four titles will be rendered unplayable. No refunds will be issued for the initial game purchase or any DLC downloads.

//twitter.com/StudioOnoma/status/1??595185541875748864?s=20&t=ewt1z8CoqL038UFXRPuhGw

Square Enix Montreal, founded back in 2011, was mostly focused on the creation of mobile and free-to-play titles, finding a small but dedicated audience with its GO strategy series, which utilized famous IPs such as Hitman, Tomb Raider, and Deus Ex. The studio was picked up earlier this year as part of a transaction that saw holdi??ng company Embracer Group acquire much of Square Enix' western subsidiaries, including studios Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, along with their respective IPs.

Soon after, it was announced that Square Enix Montreal was rebranding as Onoma, which appeared to signal a new lease of life for the company. However, in a shocking turn of events, the studio's closure was announced mere weeks later.

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Studio broke ground for unionization in the industry

Independent developer Vodeo Games has revealed that it will be closing its doors in the near future. The sad news was announced on Twitter just yesterday and comes less than a year after the studio's debut release, anthropomorphic adventure Beast Breaker.

"The story is unfortunately a familiar one for small studios," explained the studio. "Despite a year of avid efforts, we've been una??ble to secure funding for our next project from publishers and investors. As such, we've run out of funds and aren't able to keep the ??team together �?and there is simply no Vodeo without our incredible team."

//twitter.com/VodeoGames/s?tatus/1567581119608156161?s=20&a??mp;t=KUHIarDvnW6dXeYOfUa7yw

While the closure of any indie outlet is an unhappy affair, Vodeo's departure stings in particular due to the fact that the developer was deep in the process of becoming the first-ever fully unionized studio within the games industry. The Communications Workers of America (CWA), which already covers sectors includi??ng healthcare and telecommunications, made its debut in the games industry in December 2021, signing up for a voluntary recognit??ion with Vodeo.

The newly formed Vodeo Workers United acknowledged the studio's closure on its own Twitter account, noting that it will continue to fight for workers' rights and to show solidarity with other gaming studios currently attempting to seek official recognition in the unionization market. It is incredibly sad to see Vodeo Games forced to call time after breaking such ground, but, sadly, this looks like th???????????????????????????e team's only option.

Beast Breaker is available now on Nintendo Switch and Epic Game Store. A Steam port is currently in development and will release before studio closure. As previously noted, the fight for workers' rights �?in any and all sectors �?is a tough and arduous, but absolutely necessary fight. Kudos and solidarity to the staff at Vodeo Games for taking such a groundbreaking step, and here's to wishing the talent all of the best in their respective futures in the ??industry.

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It's an unforgiving world out there for smaller studios

V1 Interactive, the studio behind last year's squad-commanding strategy shooter Disintegration, is shutting down this month. The FPS-meets-RTS game about robots with transplanted human brains didn't review all that well, and five months after it was released, the multiplayer modes went offline.

"We want to thank all the talented people at V1, both past and present, who helped make the last five years wonderful," V1 tweeted. "And a heartfelt thanks to the amaz??ing community that supported us."

In another tweet, V1 Interactive president Marcus Lehto said that "our priority has been to the wellbeing of our employees. We've been transparent with them about the state of things for months and are making this decision now so they still have ample time to search for new jobs while being supported by our studio." Other than V1, Lehto is best-known for his hand in creating the Halo series.

As grim as the post-launch outlook seemed for Disintegration, I had hoped the studio's publishing deal with Private Division (a label under Take-Two Interactive) would've insulated V1 to a greater extent.

It's always a sha?me to see a smaller- or mid-sized studio working on a new IP go out so soon.

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End of an era

One of the few remaining landmark arcade centres has announced that it will be closing its doors at the end of the mont??h. Sega Building 2, located in Akihabara, Japan, will hit ??the lights for the last time on August 30, ending a 17-year run of public entertainment.

Based in the heart of the technology-loving Akihabara neighbourhood, Sega Building 2 opened in 2003 under the name "Akihabara Kigo" and immediately welcomed a slew of players with its wide variety of arcade games, pachinko machine and UFO grabbers. As captivating on the outside as it is on the inside, Sega Building 2 has for years caught the attention of passers-by with huge, colourful murals of popular anime and video game characters, as you can see in these photos from @kaztsu.

The closure of Sega Building 2 was revealed on Twitter this past weekend, after locals spotted a? modest sign posted up on the a??rcade's main entrance.

"Thank you for your continued patronage," reads the notice. "We are sorry to announce that this branch, Sega Akihabara Building 2, will be closing... The entire staff wishes to express, from the bottom of our hearts, o??ur sincere gratitude at the loving support you have given our establishment for so many years."

While Sega has offered n?o official reasoning for the location's closure, it's hard not to direct blame at the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has decreased the foot traffic through metropolitan areas, and kept sensible people from gathering together en masse. Add to that the contamination potential of money/token/control handling, and it appears that 2020 may have dealt too fierce a blow to one of the last bastions of the arcade scene.

Giant Se??ga arcade announces it is closing for good [SoraNews24]

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Don't lose heart just yet

In a sudden bit of news, Japanese game studio Examu - best known for the niche-but-great anime fighter Arcana Heart - has announced that it will be suspending?? all of its business operations at the end of February.

Examu - formerly Yuki Enterprise - has been in business for 13 years, during which time it has produced arcade releases such as Samurai Shodown V and Million Arthur while overseeing the production of the Arcana Heart series for both arcade and home formats. Thanking fans for their continued support, Examu cites a changing environment and declining business as the reason behind its suspensio?n??.

While this is worrying news for fans of the Arcana Heart series, it should be noted that support of the franchise is set to continue for the time being, with all planned development and business inquiries now falling to Team Arcana. This was later confirmed by the team on Twitter.

The most recent home release, Arcana Heart 3: Love MAX Six Stars!!!! was published for PC by Arc? System Works in 2017.

Arcana Heart developer Examu t??o suspend business o?perations [Siliconera]

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Third British studio closed

Sony has announced its intention to close another UK-based ?studio. The Manchester-based team was opened in 2015 with an eye specifically toward the development of VR titles, but it will now unfortunately be closing its doors in the near fu??ture.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Sony noted that the closure was decide??d "as part of our efforts to improve eff??iciency and operational effectiveness."

Manchester is the third UK Sony studio to pull down the shutters in recent years. Sony also closed Cambridge-based studio Guerilla in 2017, and DriveClub developer Evolution in 2016. In terms of first-party studios, this leaves LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule and Blood & Truth's London Games a??s Son?y's remaining first-party presence in the U.K., though it still has other studios in Europe.

PlayStation to close Manchester VR studio [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Check the Tapes

_{[Photo: Cross Counter]}

It's the end of an era for the Fighting Game Community. After eight ??long years of guest stars, salty losses, sofa-leaping wins and drinking wine whilst also collecting wrestling figures, Cross Counter's YouTube show Excellent Adventures is coming to an end.

The announcement was made by long time host and Cross Counter co-founder Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez in the email listing of the Excellent Adventures website, where he spoke of his future plans to spend more time recording podcasts and shows to be featured on his Twitch channel. "After eight years since Mike and I f??irst put out the first episodes on YouTube, it’s time for Excellent Adventures to come to an end," said Gootecks in an email listing. "There are two remaining episodes that need to be released... These will be added to the site as they are ready, starting this week."

Excellent Adventures will be mostly remembered for its amazing run during the Ultra Street Fighter IV era, where Gootecks and Mike Ross - alongside fighting game royalty such as Justin Wong, K-Brad, Ricki Ortiz, Smug and many others - threw down endlessly with random players online, leading to incredibly hype m??oments, angry instant messages, extreme salt, self-realisation, and a lot of genuine hilarity.

In my (very humble) opinion, the release of Street Fighter V undeniably hurt the show at its apex. ??Lacking an online character select screen, ropey online stability at launch, plus a general lack of interest from the community?? messed with the show's natural flow, despite its hosts' best (and ultimately successful) efforts to keep the Excellent Adventures vibe and spirit flowing. The loss of Mike Ross and Producers Steve Hwang and Ian Cofino are noted by Gootecks as major contributors to the show's closure.

Regardless, the preceding years were amazing. During the SFIV era I tuned in weekly, never fail, (even watched some episodes multiple times). I not only learned more about USFIV itself, but remai??ned consistently entertained by a group of people that, weirdly, came to feel like actual friends I was welcoming into my home. Thanks to all of t??he Excellent Adventures crew for years of quality entertainment.

I'll never forget to Check the Tap?es (performs Dec?apre win pose).

Excellent Adventures is officially ending [Event Hubs]

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Veteran video site shuts its doors

YouTube channel Machinima has finally closed operations. The video creator, recently acquired by AT&T's brand Otter Media, had been producing content for over a decade, having launched with the advent of YouTube in 2006. The closure was noted in a statement made to Deadline at the weekend.

A report filed with the California Employment Development Department reveals that some 81 employees have unfortunately been laid off as a result of the closure. Hopefully all those affected will be able to find work elsewhere very soon. Suspicions of Machinima's future were first raised when all of its video content was set private, without notice, last month.

"A select number of Machinima employees remain with the company, which is now actively providing services to supercharge the combined portfolio of Otter Media," said a Machinima spokesperson in their Deadline statement. "Machinima has ceased its remaining operati??ons, which includes layoffs. Russell Arons remains with Machinima, and is assisting wi??th transitional activities as she explores new opportunities".

As for over a decades worth of videos, who knows? ??But it's a reminder of the fragility and disposability of internet content, that can be potentially wiped out with the flick of a switch.

Machinima is shutting down, with 81 staffers l?aid off [Deadline]

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Truly the end of an era

Long-running UK magazines GamesMaster and GamesTM have sadly announced that they are to close. Publisher Future has announced that both publications will be releasing their final issues ?in Novembe??r.

GamesTM first launched in 2002 under Imagine, before being picked up by Future in 2016. GamesMaster magazine has been on store shelves since way back in 1993, when it was released alongside the classic TV show of the same name. Despite the popular Channel 4 programme's cancellation in 1998, GamesMaster magazine continued to run for a further twenty years, an amazing feat and a?? testament to the talent of its staff.

"Despite the company's strong performance overall, unfortunately GamesTM and GamesMaster are no longer profitable parts of the business," said Future in a statement. "The decision was an extremely difficult one, but everyone here is enormously proud of what the magazines have achieved in their l??ifetimes... We are currently redeploying affected staff within the company."

Futu??re publishes other titles such as Edge, PC Gamer, and the official PlayStation and Xbox magazines. These titles are not expected ?to be affected by the closures. We wish all of the staff at GamesTM and GamesMaster the very best in their ventures.

UK magazines GamesTM and GamesMaster to close [gamesindustry.biz]

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And then there were none

The sudden and unexpected near-shuttering of Telltale Games rocked the video game industry two weeks ago. Telltale laid off approximately 250 employees, which was about 90 percent of its workforce. A skeleton crew of 25-or-so people were kept on to fulfill outstanding obligations to partners, namely wrapping up Minecraft: Story Mode for Netflix.

Now that's out the window too. Narrative designer Rach?el Noel confirms that Telltale's last remaining employees were laid off today, seemingly well before their work was finished.

Heeeeyyyy remember how there was going to be a skeleton crew staying on for a while and I w??as part of it? Nah, jk, we all just got laid off, too.

— Retchel Necronoelicon (@anameformyself) October 4, 2018

One possible explanation for this is that Telltale has found itself exposed to being on the hook for the layoffs two weeks ago. Former employees have filed wrongful termination lawsuits at both the federal and state levels. (For what it's worth, Noel says that the skeleton crew did not receive severance packages; neither did the 250 people who were let go in Septemb?er.) There's a chance Telltale is cutting overhead to prepare for litigation and/or liabiliti??es resulting from those lawsuits.

Regardless of the reasoning, it appears that Telltale is now completely dead -- even if the saga is still far from over. As always, our best w??ishes go out to all the former employees who were affected ?by the Telltale layoffs.

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A shadow of its former self

[Update: In a statement, Telltale described today's news as "a majority studio closure" and confirmed that 25 employees will stay on?? "to fulfill the company's obligations to its board and partners." More news about the studio's portfolio of games will be divulged "in the coming weeks.??"

"It's been an incredibly difficult year for T?elltale as we worked to set the company on a new course," said Telltale Games CEO Pete Hawley. "Unfortunately, we ran out of time trying to get there."

"We released some of our best content this year and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback, but ultimately, that did not translate to sales. With a heavy heart, we watch our friends leave today to spread our brand of storytelling across the g?ames industry??."]

It's a tough day for the studio behind adventure game series like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The Wolf Among Us, and numerous other high-profile projects. Early reports today suggested that Telltale Games might be closing its doors, and while that isn't the case, t??he reality isn't much better.

After a round of mass layoffs, Telltale is down from hundreds of employees to "around 25," according to The Verge. If that seems like a? painful last-ditch restructuring effort, I wholeheartedly a??gree.

Just looking at the studio's known-about plans, Telltale currently has The Walking Dead: The Final Season, The Wolf Among Us: Season Two, Game of Thrones: Season Two, and a Stranger Things game.

How Telltal??e goes on from here, I'm no?t sure. Our best goes out to everyone affected.

The Walking Dead studio Telltale hit with layoffs [The Verge]
Telltale Games [Twitter]

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The battle royale Hail Mary was 'too little too late'

With the fast-paced multiplayer shooter LawBreakers failing to catch on in any significant way and developer Boss Key Productions quickly shifting gears to the battle royale craze with its fun but very rough Radical Heights, the studio's future has looked uncertain at best. Despite the last-ditch effort, "it was too little too?? late," according to founder Cliff Bleszinski. Boss Key is "effectively no more."

A statement: pic.twitter.com/LwJD54bCwL

— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) May 14, 2018

Before the studio announced Radical Heights, it noted that LawBreakers "failed to find enough of an audience to generate the funds necessary to keep it sustained in the manner we had originally planned for and anticipated." Boss Key also said that a pivot to free-to-play would be too r??esource-heavy.

It's clear now that Radical Heights wasn't the silver bullet Boss Key sorely needed to s??tay in b??usiness. The game's servers are expected to "remain up for the near future," according to Bleszinski.

Cliff Bleszinski [Twitter]

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Gazillion Studios confirms closure

[Update: Articles on Massively Overpowered and Kotaku are reporting that Sony and Microsoft are offering refunds to owners of Marvel Heroes Omega, with some Xbox One pl?a??yers having received recompense automatically.]

With glum inevitability, Gazillion Studios tweeted today that their comic-book MMO Marvel Heroes is to close its servers with immedia??te effect, bringing to its conclusion a week of unhappy? news for the company.

When it was originally announced that the game was to be taken offline, hopes were that it would at least run until the end of 2017, with all in-game items and characters being made available to all players. Then Gazillion were forced to lay off almost their entire workforce last week, which made any future for Marvel Heroes doubtful.

This is a sad situation, affecting a lot of hardworking people who have been made unemployed, reportedly without severance, at a financially difficult time of year. We wish all of those affected by the closure of Marvel Heroes the very best for the future.

Marvel Heroes closes down [Twitter]

pic.twitter.com/Q12AUQ61c3

— Marvel Heroes Omega (@MarvelHeroes) November 27, 2017

The post (Update) Marvel Heroes sh????uts down with immediate effect appeared first on Destructoid.

Right on the heels of Motiga

Less than 24 hours after we received word that Gigantic developer Motiga was being shuttered by Perfect World, another Seattle-based studio suffers a similar fate. Runic Games, the developer behind the Torchlight series and the recently-released Hob, has also be closed.

Runic head Marsh Lefler announced the news on the front page of Runic's website, confirming that the company was coming to an end after a nine-year run. Pa?rent company Perfect World sent us this statement, which addresses ??both Motiga and Runic:

Following the news that Motiga has reduced the staff of its studio, Perfect World Entertainment can confirm that as the publisher of Gigantic, the game will continue to be available on our platforms. A core team of developers remains at Motiga, who will work with us to support the game and its players, including moving full steam ahead with the upcoming November update and future content. We cannot thank everyone enough for their contributions in making Gigantic the outstanding experie??nce it is today.

Perfect World Entertainment recently closed the Seattle office of Runic Games as part of the company's continued strategy to focus on online games as a service. We're grateful to the team for all of their hard work bringing incredible experiences like Torchlight, Torchlight II and Hob to life. Runic Games will remain a part of Perfect World Entertainment's portfolio of studios, and its games will continue to be available to players, as we stay committed to suppor??ting and? growing Runic Games' beloved franchises.

The staff reduction at Motiga and the closure of Runic Games Seat??tle were unrelated. Perfect World Entertainment stands committed to delivering the best massively multiplayer online gameplay experiences to our players.

We haven't seen the end of either Torchlight or Gigantic, but the people who created those games largely won't be the ones who continue to support them. It has been a rough week for Perfect World-owned stud??ios. Our best wishes go out to everyone who was affected by these layoff??s.

Runic Games [Runic Games]

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More studios might also be affected

Motiga, the developer behind free-to-play MOBA-like hero shooter Gigantic, will close its doors soon. Employees have confirmed that the entire studio is? shuttering and that nearly all of the staff will be left without jobs.

It's unknown how many former employees are affected, but it seems to be somewhere north of 50. Motiga has had tumultuous staffing issues in the past few years, with mass layoffs becoming semi-regular occurrences. 

Motiga's frequent layoffs mirrored the troubled development of Gigantic. Years went by where the game didn't seem any closer to launching. Microsoft was the original publisher, but it eventually pulled out of the project in mid-2016. Perfect World stepped in and assumed publishing duties, and Gigantic finally released in July 2017.

Perfect World's involvement didn't end at publishing Gigantic, however. It had quietly acquired Motiga and framed the investment as a "partnership." We asked Motiga founder and CEO Chris?? Chung about everything surrounding this situation, and he provided a frank and detaile??d statement. Here it is, in full:

All of Motiga was acquired by Perfect World last year. Perfect World decided ??to announce the arrangement as partnership by the directions from corporate for the reason we were not privy to.

Yes, [the closure] was the corporate decision. It was a budgetary decision at the highest level. Perfect World as a public company has a profitability goal and they decided to cut parts of the company that were not profitable. In short, Gigantic was not making enough revenue. Unfortunately, Motiga is not the only Perfect World s??tudio being impacted by the decision.

Gigantic will be left a??t the hands of a maintenance team composed of few dedicat?ed folks at Motiga. They are [an] awesome group of people that will be working on the game until some time in the future when it doesn't make sense anymore.

Thank you for the kind words. As someone that created Motiga from scratch, it's a sad day for me but I am proud of the team we built and th??e culture we established at Motiga. I was hugged by everyone today and you don't see that ??kind of reaction in most companies through an ordeal like this.

[Update: Chung sent a second comment shortly after the o??riginal one. Here is that statement, in full:

I made the previous statement at a vulnerable moment believing it was a response to a friendly concern. I may not have had all the ?facts surrounding what happened and I apologize for any error. Today was a tough day for all of us who have been part of this extra?ordinary journey. We wish the best for everyone that were impacted and we will do everything we can to help them find a new home.]

While Gigantic will live on f??or the time being, it's unclear how ?long Perfect World will keep it afloat. Probably, as Chung says, until "it doesn't make sense anymore."

However, Motiga seemingly isn't the end of this story. More Perfec??t World properties might suffer a similar fate. There could very well be more closures in the near future.

We've also asked Perfect World for comment, but haven't heard back by time of publication. We'll u??pdate this story if/when we receive a response. As always, everyone at Destructoid wishes the best for all the affected Motiga employees and hope that they land on their feet as quickly as possible.

[Update #2: Perf??ect World has now sent along its statement. Here it is:

Following the news that Motiga has reduced the staff of its studio, Perfect World Entertainment can confirm that as the publisher of Gigantic, the game will continue to be available on our platforms. A core team of developers remains at Motiga, who will work with us to support the game and its players, including moving full steam ahead with the upcoming November update and future content. We cannot thank everyone enough for their contributions in making Gigantic the outstanding experience it is today.

Perfect World Entertainment recently closed the Seattle office of Runic Games as part of the company's continued strategy to focus on online games as a service. We’re grateful to the team for all of their hard work bringing incredible experiences like Torchlight, Torchlight II and Hob to life. Runic Games will remain a part of Perfect World Entertainment's portfolio of studios, and its games will continue to be available to playe??rs, as we stay committed to supporting and growing Runic Games' beloved franchises.

The staff reduction at Motiga and the closure of Runic? Games Seattle were unrelated. Perfect World Entertainment stands committed to delivering the best massively multiplayer online gameplay experiences to our players.

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Upward of 100 people may have been laid off

[Update: CC?P has sent along comment on today's events. Here's the quote, in ?full:

"CCP Games is restructuring its studio locations worldwide, driven primarily by reduced investments in virtual reality and an increased focus on PC and mobile games. This has resulted in a reorganization and centralization of its five development studios across the world to two in Reykjavík and London. The company's Shanghai studio will be reduced and refocused to support growing busi??ness in China through local partnerships.  

In the coming weeks, CCP will undertake the following proposed measures: The closure of its Atlanta studio with VR development moved to London, the sale of its Newcastle studio, and the elimination of a number of positions worldwide. CCP has provided severance packages and job placement a?ssistance for all those affected.

There are no changes to ongoing plans for EVE Online and the company's product pipeline is strong. In early October, CCP confirmed continued development of its PC FPS game, Project Nova and announced a new mobile game, Project Aurora, both set in the EVE Universe. Both projects are on track and unaffected by these changes. CCP will announce additional game releases directly or through partnerships over the next 18 mo??nths across PC and mobile."]

[Original article] Three years ago, EVE Online developer CCP was a leading virtual reality creator as EVE Valkyrie was pegged as one of the first must-have VR experiences. At EVE Vegas earlier this month, we reported on CCP shifti??ng its mindset away from VR for t?he first time in years. Today, that has led to significant restructuring within the company.

News has just broken that CCP has closed its Atlanta studio, the team that's primarily focused on VR projects like Sparc. Senior programmer Sigurdur Gunnarsson confirmed this on Twitter, and stated that he's not being relocate?d within CCP.

Although little information is available about this shuttering, Icelandic outlet Morgunbladid reports what we heard at EVE Vegas: It's because CCP is stepping back from VR. Further, it seems as if CCP is selling its Newcastle branch, which is the studio that led the efforts on Valkyrie. Moving forward, the EVE Online develope?r is going to focus on PC and mobile games.

It's tough to fully understand the magnitude of this without many details. The Atlanta branch is estimated to have had 70 employees (although that number could be outdated). It seems that layoffs rather than relocation is how CCP opted to handle this. We've been told that somewhere around 100 employees w??ere affected.

We've contacted CCP for comment on the Atlanta studio situation. We'll up??date this post if/when we hear back. Everyone at Des??tructoid wishes the best for all the former CCP employees and hope they land on their feet as quickly as possible.

@SiggiGG [Twitter]

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EA Vancouver seems like the new lead on Star Wars

Visceral Games is set to close its doors in the very near future. Electronic Arts has opted to close the studio that's most well-known for the Dead Space series and Battlefield Hardline.

For the past few years, Visceral has been working on a Star Wars title under the lead of creative director Amy Hennig. That?? gam?e is going to be reworked into something different and the project will be moved to another studio.

EA explains what this means for Star Wars in a statement by executive vice president Patrick Söderlund:

Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Fro??stbite engine and re-imagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.

EA Vancouver is the team that's explicitly mentioned as leading on the new Star Wars title, but it seems as if EA will disperse duties across the entire company. The shift also means t??hat it won't launch in fiscal year 2019 anymore; EA says it'll hav??e a new timeframe for release sometime in the future.

EA also mentions that it's in the process of trying to place Visceral employees on different teams and projects. We here at Destructoid wish the best to ?former Visceral folks, and hope everyone lands on their feet without the transition process being too stressful.

An Update on the Visceral Star Wars Project [Electronic Arts]

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Repent all ye physical lovers, the end is nigh

In a surprising turn on Monday afternoon, the team at IndieBox announced with a heavy heart that they would be ending their subscription service following the release of Torchlight II. IndieBox,?? who has been giving smaller PC titles a chance to become prized boxes on a shelf since 2013, has stated that they aren't going anywhere and that they are instead going to shift to "working more with indie devs." I hope that means more physical boxes but from the sounds of it, it may just be another online sales platform.

The team has stated that all future subscriptions will be canceled and that people who still have paid time on their current subscription will be compensated but no exact details were given. They also noted that if you purchased The Banner Saga or Invisible, Inc. add-on??s they will still ship and no further action is required.

I've never been one to overly love the subscription-based loot-box system that has sprung up in recent years but IndieBox was one of the ones I trusted to take my money as I miss the days of physical boxes for PC releases and they? cultivated a nice lineup of releases over the years. It's also sad to see little business ventures like this go down but at least they are still keeping their head in the game and not bowing out completely.

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Well, damn

Sony has closed Guerrilla Cambridge, the long-running studio behind games like Rigs: Mechanized Combat League for PlayStation VR, Killzone: Mercenary on PS Vita, and even MediEvil, among others.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said the decision stemmed from an internal? review of projects under SCE Worldwide Studios, which led the company to believe that it would be "necessary to m?ake some changes to the European studios structure" in order to meet its "strategic objectives."

Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn develop?er Guerrilla Games, which is based out of Amsterdam, isn't going anywhere. Whether others will be affected -- either now, or in the future -- remains to be seen.

"W??hilst we accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff, by focusing on other ??Studios with exciting new projects in development, (including continued work on PlayStation VR), we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality to our players," reads a portion of the statement from Sony.

Disappointing news, to say the least. Rigs is ??one of the best, most fully-realized PlayStation VR games, and I had been co??unting on Cambridge to continue making titles for the device. Welp.

Guerrilla Cambridge to close [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Smash+Grab removed from Steam

It seems that United Front Games, the developer behind Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Modnation Racers, and LittleBigPlanet Karting, has closed its doors in Vancouver, Canada with reports that all employees were let go sometime today. This news comes the day after its latest game Smash+Grab was available to play for free on Steam, which has now been removed from purchas??e.

This is pretty sad news all around. From what I'm told, Sleeping Dogs was quite good and I remember enjoyin?g the developer's kart racers when I played them. I wish the best for all those who lost their jobs today, as I know what it is like to lose your job out of nowhere. It sucks.

RIP United Front Games [NeoGAF]

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We're waiting to hear if the studio was closed

[Update: PlayStation responded to our inquiry. The layoffs were confined to a certain team, and the studio has not closed. Here's?? PlayStation's response in full:

"We can confirm there has been a reduction in headcount at San Diego Studio. The teams working on MLB The Show, Drawn to Death and Guns Up! have not b??een affected. We continually evaluate teams and programs at SIE Worldwide Studios to ensure we have the proper resources in place to deliver innovative products within a competitive landscape. As projects ar??e completed, it is natural to review and restructure teams around current and future needs. We wish our departing team members success as they pursue new opportunities and we have nothing but heart-felt thanks for their contributions to PlayStation."]

It appears as though an undisclosed number of employees were laid off at PlayStation's San Diego branc?h. Amid the confusion of the developing story, its unclear i?f the studio has been closed or if an isolated team was let go.

The news comes via Twitter from former employee Noah Watkins. He said "Well... Our entire team was just laid off here at the #playstation studio in San Diego. Anyone looking for a UI artist/designer?" Watkins later tweeted at Blizza?rd's account to inform t??hat prospective employer of the layoffs.

PlayStation's San Diego developer is well-known for working on a number of titles. It's the studio that puts out MLB: The Show every year, and it recently made Kill Strain. As of today, it is/was also collaborating on creating David Jaffe's Drawn to Death.

While we're unsure if PlayStation San Diego is still operational, Sony's careers site seems to b?e a beacon of hope. There are many listings for jobs in the San Diego office, although it's unknown what their posting dates are.

We've reached out to PlayStation PR for clarification as to whether the studio was shuttered or a group of employees was laid off. We didn't receive a response at time? of publi?shing. We'll update this post if/when we get a reply.

@noahwatkins [Twitter]

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Best of luck to all those affected

Of all the video game studios, in all the towns, in all the world, Ubisoft will be shutting down its satellite office in Casablanca, Morocco on June 13, th??e company announced Thursd?ay.

Ubisoft let the studio know of its plans last week, and claims to be providing outbound employees with transfer opportunities -- or "ass?istance" for those who do not remain with the company.

The location has been open for 18 years, since April 1998, over which time it has contributed to the development of titles like Rayman Legends, Child of Light, Valiant Hearts, and Rayman Fiesta Run.

Speaking in a prepared statement, Ubisoft Mobile boss Jean-Michel D?etoc said, despite the developer's lengthy ?history, "Unfortunately, as the video game market evolved in the past few years, we didn’t find a sustainable formula for the studio within our broader network.”

That network now includes a total of 29 studios across 17 co??untries.&nb??sp;

Ubisoft closes Casablanca studio [Ubisoft]

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Skeleton crew let go after layoffs in December

Gameloft is shuttering its studio in Valencia, Spain, Gamasutra reports.

The location closed its doors this week and its 18 employees are now out ??of work, according to an unnamed source, who suggests this was a skeleton crew left behind after layoffs in December.

The Paris-based company has now closed more than seven of its sa?tellite studios within roughly one year's time. This is apparently part of an "ambitious cost reduction program" that has greatly benefited Gameloft's bottom line at the expense of more than 850 developers.

Report: Gam??eloft shuts down another studio, this time in Spain [Gamasutra]

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Having two studios was 'not sustainable' long term

Bit.Trip developer Choice Provisions (née Gaijin Games) has closed its San Francisc??o office??. 

"Over the past few years, the game industry has changed so dramatically that a mid-sized stu??dio operating as we have for the past several years, just simply can’t continue in the same way," Choice Provisions co-founder Alex Neuse confirmed via the studio's blog this Thursday. 

In a decision Neuse billed "incredibly difficult," the company "had to let some really great people go" along with the satellite off??ice to?? "refocus [its] efforts" around the company's Santa Cruz headquarters.

"We did everything we could to maint??ain the company as it had been," Neuse added, "but unfortunately, having two studios was just not sustainable? in the long term."

Choice Provisions was founded as a three-person indie team in 2007. After making a name for itself with the Bit.Trip series on WiiWare, the studio grew considerably, developing multiple projects at once and forming its own publishing label to promote and sell games from smaller teams.

Speaking with me at the PlayStation Experience in San Francisco this December, Choice Provisions co-founder Mike Roush expressed concern about the studio's latest project, Tharsis, which released this January for PlayStation 4 and PC after a prolonged d?evelopment cycle.

Tharsis was initially conceived as a mobile game and slated for an early 2015 release, but the studio spent an additional year transforming it int?o a full-on console title. While more time in the oven resulted in a more impressive experience, Roush conveyed worry about mounting development costs.

Choice Provisions didn't name Tharsis as a reason behind the San Francisco office's closure, nor did it indicate? the title failed to meet sales expectations, but it might have been a contributing factor.

When Destructoid reached out to Choice Provisions for further comment, Roush said there were "a lot of factors" behind the decision, and reiterated the company's official statement. He called the news "sad," but asserted "it was right call to keep the company as a whole alive." Roush? wanted to make clear "the Santa Cruz studio is still going strong and we will continue to make great games and publish unique titles [like Space Dave! and Drive! Drive Drive!]."

??Destructoid wishes everyone affected by the st??udio closure all the best moving forward. 

Moving Forward [Choice Provisions]

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Best of luck to everyone affected

Orlando-based developer N-Space has shu??t do??wn after 21 years in the business. 

Founded in 1994, N-Space spent the majority of its history working on ports for Nintendo platforms and licensed games. However, the studio is perhaps better remembered for the excellent 2005 GameCube exclusive Geist and its swan song, Dungeons & Dragons title Sword Coast Legends.

Wizards of the Coast confirmed N-Space's closure with VentureBeat this week.

"Yes, N-Space is shutting down, and we are super-sad about it," a company spokesperson said. "We are proud of everything they did in bringing Sword Coast Legends to D&D fans, and we sincerely hope e?veryone at N-??Space lands on their feet."

Ben Leary, an artist at N-Space, confirmed the news over Twitter, saying the development staff "worked long and hard to keep?? this from happening," even through "rounds of layoffs" in recent mon?ths.

“As for Sword Coast Legends going forward," the Wizards of the Coast representative added, "it is unclear at this time, but we are working with Digital Extremes, the official PC publisher, to make sure everyone has the best possible experience with the game. Right now, we believe the Rage of Demons DLC will be released for PC, but we are confirming with Digital Extrem?es.”

Before shuttering, N-Space completed development on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Sword Coast Legends, which Wizards of the Coa?st is "hopeful" w?ill be released "soon."

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Also closing down Danish developer Press Play

Microsoft has announced that it is 'in discussions' with Lionhead Studios, Peter Molyneux’s former studio and developer of Black & White and Fable, to shut the studio down.

In a statement made on the Xbox site, it was confirmed that the upcoming Fable Legends has also been cancelled:

After much consideration we have decided to cease development on Fable Legends, and are in discussions with employees about the ??proposed closure of Lionhead S?tudios in the UK…

…The Lionhead Studios team has delighted millions of fans with the Fable? series over the past decade.

The news comes alongside an announcement that Danish developer Press Play, the team behind Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, is also to be shuttered:

These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate?? to have the talent, creativi??ty and commitment of the people at these studios.

It’s worth nothing that Lionhead hasn’??t been officially shut down yet, but the language used in the rest of the announcement makes it pretty much inevitable now.

I used to love Black & White when I was? a ki??d, so seeing Lionhead finally bow out will be a sad day indeed.

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Didn't even make it two years

In late 2014 Square Enix announced the formation of a new subsidiary company, Shinra Technologies. The Final Fantasy VII-nodding company name works on two levels, as Shinra's focus was cloud gaming,?? aiming to "break the stranglehold of having a fixed a??mount of hardware resources."

Shinra's aim was to deliver high-performance games -- "revolutionary game experiences" -- without users needing computers (or any dedicated hardware) that cost thousands of dollars; instead, far off, dedicated supercomputers would power these experiences that could be played on much less impressive tech. In early 2015 the company showed off a huge open world tech demo with thousands of colorful imp monsters flying about. Later in the year the company announced a partnership with Human Head (Prey 2, RIP) to work on a game.

Now, the company's site has gone dark. The Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki spotted a release in Japanese that points to Shinra Technologies being dissolved, according to Mochizuki, "due to lack of third-party [investors]." The release also cites a related "extraordinary loss" of 2 bil?lion yen (roughly $16.9 million) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. New Y??ork-based Shinra Technologies will be completely liquidated by March 31, 2019, while subsidiary Shinra Technologies Japan will be gone by June 30, 2016.

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