Game development is a complicated beast, a constant challenge to get funding and for Studio Black Flag who were building the promising looking Orphan Age it's all over. A game I covered all the way back in 2018 with their Kickstarter, when the developer was confident on it having Linux support.
Speaking in a fresh announcement on Steam the developer put it very bluntly:
Dropping the nautical jargon for clarity, the last few months we’ve been going through bankruptcy procedures in France. This started when communication broke down between us and our publisher, leading to payments not continuing. Alas, with our publisher not continuing funding and no other sources of continued funding to finalize the game, the French government has elected to shut down the studio effective immediately. (Like at the end of the work day today we cannot legally continue working.)
Going by the date, they shut as of October 2nd.
To make matters worse when going through the Kickstarter they originally stressed how they "tried to work with publishers, but we never found a compromise that respected Orphan Age's DNA". Clearly they found one, but this is where it gets messier. In the FAQ at the bottom of the announcement it seems their publishing agreement handed over all of the rights of the game noting "I’m not able to get into the specifics of our contract with our publisher, but we simply do not have ownership over Orphan Age in a way that would allow us to shop it to another publisher.".
It might not be the complete end for the game since the publisher could continue it but it's now entirely out of the hands of Studio Black Flag.
Brutal, but a reminder that there's a lot of bad publisher contracts out there, where like this you hand over all your rights just to get the money. The developer has not named the publisher involved.
It's also a reminder that a lot of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding campaigns aren't nearly enough for a developer to fund a full game. Which is why a lot of them also end up with a publisher.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
We need a new name for publishers that indicate their hoarding and coercion.
Hmm, like Dragons?
Dragon: Give me everything and do as I say!
People: Or?
Dragon: There is no or! There only me!
People: …
Gaming development is not a new thing. People should know how it works by now and have realistic goals, when they start a project like this.
We are in the 2020's and the writing is on the wall: don't buy anything on pre-release, not from a big studio, nor from a bunch of new kids that don't know what they are doing. If you loose money, it is on you.
According to the Steam page for Orphan Age, the developer and the publisher of Orphan Age is Studio Black Flag. I assume that Studio Black Flag entered into a contractual agreement with a publishing company. Is this correct?
If this is correct, then what is the name of the publishing company that bought the rights to the game or studio?
I am asking for this information so I can add the publisher to my "naughty" publisher list.
- First time this happens the developers were afraid it didn't live up to the fundraising promises so they delay the release and start adding features. Essentially a rewrite?
- This needs more people so they expand from a two person indie team to a 14 (?) person company.
- Kickstarter brought in €30K so money is presumably long gone. Fortunately a publisher steps in, but considers it so unsuitable for release that it is reworked again...
Quoting: M@GOidI'm sorry if this sound harsh but, they get no sympathy from me. People should know that money is not infinite, so if you drag development of something for 6 years, it will end with the project being canceled.
Gaming development is not a new thing. People should know how it works by now and have realistic goals, when they start a project like this.
We are in the 2020's and the writing is on the wall: don't buy anything on pre-release, not from a big studio, nor from a bunch of new kids that don't know what they are doing. If you loose money, it is on you.
100% this. In fact, I rarely buy a game day 1 now.
Quoting: RFSharpeI need help understanding this. I think I am missing something.
According to the Steam page for Orphan Age, the developer and the publisher of Orphan Age is Studio Black Flag. I assume that Studio Black Flag entered into a contractual agreement with a publishing company. Is this correct?
If this is correct, then what is the name of the publishing company that bought the rights to the game or studio?
I am asking for this information so I can add the publisher to my "naughty" publisher list.
Ubisoft, ask them
Pretty likely that their publisher put several hundred thousands on the table before cutting their losses, not sure they deserve the flak they're getting. I for one wouldn't buy an unknown game IP with its half finished prototype for even €1000.
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