Icarus Studios, developer of post-apocalyptic MMOG Fallen Earth, has flown too close to the sun and lost its wings.
The Escapist has learned that North Carolina-based developer Icarus Studios has closed its doors. While a post made on the Fallen Earth forums describes a “restructuring” of the studio, an inside source tells us that the reality is much more severe.
According to our source, employees were asked to meet together at approximately 10:30 this morning, where they were told that the studio would be closing, effective immediately. They could remain until approximately 1 PM, say their goodbyes, clean up their things and collect a final paycheck, but that was that. Our source also says that much of the equipment (motion-capture cameras and the like) had apparently been sold.
While Icarus had worked on other products in the past – notably the relatively well-received iPhone game adaptation of Showtime’s serial killer drama Dexter – its main thrust was post-apocalyptic MMO/FPS Fallen Earth, set in a ruined Grand Canyon area after a series of disasters strike the United States.
Fallen Earth launched last September to mediocre reviews, currently sitting at a 71 on Metacritic. One can only imagine that the game simply didn’t perform well enough to keep the lights on at Icarus. The aforementioned forum post from community manager Tiggs assures players that the game will continue to operate despite the “restructuring,” but it’s hard to see how it could bounce back from what is effectively the shuttering of the entire development studio.
It’s always a tragedy when a studio goes out of business like Icarus apparently has – especially since Icarus, like The Escapist, had its headquarters here in North Carolina’s Research Triangle.
The best of luck to all those affected, and we at The Escapist hope you land on your feet soon enough.
Update: Icarus has contacted The Escapist to address the claims in the report from our source.
Published: Apr 30, 2010 08:29 pm