Last weekend, the president and founder of Galvanic Games, Patrick Morgan, announced the closure of the studio. The studio was best known for the title Wizard with a Gun. Morgan blamed the closure on the inability of the studio to attract new project funding.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closure of Galvanic Games,” read the official message from Morgan. “Despite the promising start of Wizard with a Gun, sales are not strong enough to sustain our studio. The last year has been particularly tough for games. While we had numerous encouraging conversations at DICE and GDC, the process of signing new projects, even in a good year, takes longer than the runway we had left.”
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Founded in 2015, Galvanic Games is a small independent game studio based in Seattle. While the studio lasted, they carved a specialty in combat-driven multiplayer games. It is not exactly clear the staff strength of the studio before the closure. However, at the time of writing, only 4 profiles were associated with the studio on LinkedIn.
“Working with Devolver Digital was a dream come true for us,” Morgan said. “Together, we created a game I’m incredibly proud of. There is a certain bittersweetness to knowing that we accomplished all the things we set out to do when we founded Galvanic in 2015.”
“From launching unique, weird, and interesting games to collaborating with some of my favorite people in the industry all while building a tight-knit, productive team focused on a healthy and creative culture.
“However, it is incredibly difficult to see our team facing the uncertainty of the current job market. I may never get over the irony of spending a decade building my ideal team, only for it to end after our mist productive year. The dedication, creativity, and hard work of every person on our team have been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Reactions trailing the closure of Galvanic Games
GameBaba Universe did not find posts made by employees of the studio on LinkedIn. However, we did find posts made by people who have either previously collaborated with the studio or attached to them in some other way.
One such person was Vitor D who is an angel investor and works with CBDO Companion Group. Vitor has been covering layoff news but said the closure of Galvanic Games “hits too close to home”.
“One of the first projects I ever worked on in a Professional Services capacity was Wizard with a Gun,” Vitor wrote. Myself and our VP of Engineering, Chris Stamford, were entrusted by Devolver Digital and the studio to help with the multiplayer performance of their deterministic lock-step game.”
“Suffice to say, Companion Group would not exist today had it not been for the amazing experience we had on this project. It set the tone for what we wanted to do and the way we wanted to help studios in this space.”
Kat Neale, a principal gameplay designer whose studio Timbre Games was also shut down, blamed the closing down of studios on the bubble created by COVID-19 which according to her forced many to turn to “games for solace and connection”.
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However, different reasons have been blamed for the layoffs and studio closures in the game industry. Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke blamed it on publisher greed. Others would argue that AI is partly to blame as more studios are automating processes with AI which has led to more workers being made redundant.
What kind of game is Wizard with a Gun?
“Wizard with a Gun is an online sandbox survival game for 1 – 4 players set in a magical wilderness wrought with dangerous creatures and arcane mysteries,” read the official game blurb on Steam.
“Embark on a journey alone or with a friend to collect, craft, and outfit your wizard however you see fit as you explore the unknown.”
Released on October 17, 2023, by Galvanic Games and published by Devolver Digital, Wizard with a Gun enjoys a very positive review on Steam. On Metacritic, the game has an average score of 73 on PS5 and 72 on PC.
