The CEO of Paladin Studios Derk de Geus released a statement on May 2, 2024, announcing that the studio has permanently shut its doors. At its peak, the studio which was founded in 2005 had 55 employees. However, at the time of the closure, the studio had 45 employees, all of whom have now been made redundant.
“Yesterday, our quest came to an end, and we have closed the studio,” began the lengthy message shared by Geus. “For almost 19 years, we have poured our hearts and souls into creating games that make you smile. Starting as a bootstrapped mini studio in 2005, we followed the twists and turns of the game industry and slowly but steadily found our place in it.”
ALSO READ: What Is Worse Than Layoff? Ascendant Studios Furloughing Their Staff!
“Over these years, the studio peaked at 55 people. As of this writing we were 45 people, each and every one of them a brilliant mind and kind heart, and together they truly created magic. We also worked with incredible partners such as Nintendo, Apple Arcade, Netflix, Zeptolab, Bandai Namco, and many others.
“Last but not least, our games are being played by millions of people, earning prestigious awards and bringing smiles to people all over the world. This was a dream come true – in fact, for us, it was THE dream come true.
“However, over the past months, we unfortunately failed to land enough work to cover our burn-rate. Yesterday we hit an inflection point for our financial security. Going further with the current outlook would have been an irresponsible decision that would have likely caused insolvency. We have therefore taken this step to ensure a proper winding down, where all employees are given proper severance and the studio remains debt-free.”
Paladin Studios will continue to support its games
Although the studio is no more, Geus said they would continue to provide technical support for all their games in the future and that their “games will stay alive”. Paladin Studios’ recent portfolio includes My Tamagotchi Forever, Stormbound, Galaga Wars, Momonga Pinball Adventures, Nailed It!: Baking Bash, and SuperCar City.
ALSO READ: Unity Has A New CEO Who’ll Reportedly Receive $850,000 Base Salary
Based in The Hague, Zuid Holland, Paladin Studios carved a niche in the development of mobile games (on Android and iOS). However, some of their games had a PC port. The studio said its mission was to “create games with a spark, for players all over the world”.
Paladin Studios is the second Dutch studio to shut its doors this week. A few days ago, Deliver Us Mars developer KeoKeN Interactive laid off its entire team after exhausting all possible options to keep the studio alive.
Some of the employees impacted by the shuttering of Paladin Studios have spoken about it on social media while leveraging their network to land their next role. Game Producer Febe Atuquaye is already anticipating the next adventure.
“One journey ends, but that doesn’t mean my adventure stops!” wrote Atuquaye on LinkedIn. “I’ve had an amazing time at Paladin Studios. They took me in as an intern and I stuck around. I’ve worked with many amazing people and learned so many things as a producer.
ALSO READ: 2 Ways To Play PS5 In Tesla Exposed
“With a heavy heart, I have to say my time at Paladin Studios has come to an end,” wrote game developer Armin Karimi Birgani. “Joining Paladin was a dream come true for me, and I am immensely grateful for the experiences and memories I’ve gained during my time here.”
“From working on Cut the Rope 3 to trying Magic the Gathering after hours, each moment at Paladin has been truly special. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone at the studio for their support, guidance, and camaraderie throughout my time there. The spark of Paladin will never leave me.”
The last 12 months have been tough for video game workers. Last year, around 10,000 people lost their jobs in the industry. However, since the beginning of this year, over 8,000 people have lost their jobs. The shuttering of the Dutch studios was largely attributed to a lack of funding.
