Indie games publisher Merge Games is shutting down after more than a decade following several layoffs and an office closure.
The company has released various popular games such as Dead Cells and Darkest Dungeon. The announcement of its shutdown was made via a statement posted on social media.
Merge Games Shuts Down
Merge Games grew from a humble startup operating in an attic 15 years ago to a 22-person team to publish hundreds of indie titles. The statement added that it could not have succeeded without people passionate about indie games.
The development comes after a report earlier this month noted that an unknown number of Merge Games staff members were laid off. It also revealed that the studio's office, which was based in Chelford, was closed down.
CEO of Merge Games parent Maximum Entertainment Christina Seelye released a statement at the time. She said that the situation was part of the company's consolidation strategy which started in February, according to GamesIndustry.
The publisher's remaining portfolio of indie games is now being integrated into Maximum Entertainment. So far, there has been no comment from the parent company for further details and clarification.
Merge Games published many titles since it was created, such as the physical version of Dead Cells and Small and Survive the Wilds.
It was also responsible for Bramble: The Mountain King. The physical version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge was also released by the studio, said Insider Gaming.
The developer's job cuts are the most recent in a series of disappointing news. These have plagued the video game industry for the past few years. Until Dawn developer Ballistic Moon also laid off an undisclosed number of workers earlier this month.
State of the Video Games Industry
This affected employees across the studio's various departments. It was around the same time that mobile games publisher Tilting Point cut roughly a fifth of its staff members. Even larger studios have not been exempt from the recent disappointing developments.
Fallout developer Bethesda closed down several of its studios earlier this year. These include Arkane Austin, the developer of Redfall. The decision also affected Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, according to Techopedia.
Fortunately, the latter was acquired by PUBG publisher Krafton in recent times. The latter said that it did not make the deal to make a profit. Instead, it plans to honor the studio's legacy and allow its workers' creativity to flourish in the video games industry.
