Gaming IndustryNarrative game studio Die Gute Fabrik has ‘halted production’ because it can’t find funding for a new projectWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Gaming IndustryNarrative game studio Die Gute Fabrik has ‘halted production’ because it can’t find funding for a new projectWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Die Gute Fabrik)

Saltsea Chroicles screenshot - stylized image of four people in a futuristic workshop

Indie studio Die Gute Fabrik, developer of the award-winning “mutant soap opera"Mutazioneand the narrative adventureSaltsea Chronicles, has “halted production” due to an inability to find funding for its next project.

Die Gute Fabrik actually stopped work on February 19, according to the announcement, and used its “remaining runway” to give its employees a month of paid time “to catch their breaths.” The studio is still seeking funding so it can continue work, but made its situation public so employees can announce that they’re looking for new work.

“Die Gute Fabrik ApS will continue to operate to service our past IPs,” the studio said. “Production may resume under Nils Deneken as CEO should the company find funding in future years, and if so we hope to welcome back our excellent collaborators where possible.

“We’ve been making games since 2008, and are so proud of the work we’ve put out and the people we’ve made it with. Thank you for playing our games.”

Mutazione was nominated for four awards at the2020 Independent Games Festival, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, and ultimately claimed one award forExcellence in Audio. Prior to that, in 2014, it released the faux-sports game Sportsfriends, which we rated as one of thebest local multiplayer gamesavailable on PC.

(Image credit: Die Gute Fabrik (Twitter))

We’re sad to share that we’re halting production at @gutefabrik due to the challenging funding & investment scene in games right now. We downed tools earlier this month & have been doing our best to support the team who’ll be looking for work from mid-March. Full statement:

But the studio’s most recent release, Saltsea Chronicles, doesn’t appear to have attracted as much of an audience: It has an 83 aggregate score onMetacriticand 98% positive user rating on Steam, but only 72 user reviews in total and all-time peak concurrent player count of just 29. That’s not the whole story—Saltsea Chronicles was also released on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch—but it’s clearly not a good place to be for a game that’s been out for more than four months.

The looming end of Die Gute Fabrik comes the same day as the announcement of layoffs at Dark Pictures AnthologySupermassive Games, and less than two weeks after cuts atBlackbird Interactive, which is currently working on Homeworld 3. 2023 was a brutal year for layoffs and closures in the game industry, and while it’s still only February, 2024 is thus far on pace to beeven worse.

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