In October 2024, Tequila Works, the veteran indie game studio behind iconic games like RiME and GLYT announced restructuring that led to the departure of “a small number of employees and the cancelation of an unannounced game”. Now the studio has filed for bankruptcy.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the founders have all stepped down and the studio’s COO Terence Mosca-Toba has transitioned to a general manager role. In a statement, Mosca-Toba said he was “proud of what [the team] has accomplished together,” adding that “prolonged market conditions” means the studio was left with no other option but to file for insolvency.
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“Since its founding in 2009, Tequila Works’ game-development philosophy has always focused on ‘creating things with gusto’,” read the statement. “We are doing everything we can to provide support and guidance to our teams during this difficult time.”
Tequila Works promotes itself as a “boutique studio that unites tradition and creativity”. Their development roster includes RiME, The Invisible Hours, The Sexy Brutale, GYLT, Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, Deadlight and Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story which was released last year.
Several employees of Tequila Works have already declared they are open to new opportunities on LinkedIn. Many have updated their profile on the platform to include the #OpenToWork green badge.
“By this time, everybody knows what Tequila Works and all their employees are going through,” wrote character animator Alberto Munoz. “As one of them, I just want to send all my [colleagues] all the energy possible to overcome this [tough] and sad situation.”
Senior character animator David Alejandro Tavares also posted about the matter saying, “After more than 2 years working with great colleagues in Tequila Works, as many of you know, we are going through a complicated situation. I´m open to work.”
In 2022, Tequila Works received funding from Tencent which the studio said at that time would fuel its growth in the development of original IPs. We are watching keenly and hoping they pull through from this difficult situation.
