It is sad, but one more day, we have to bring to the public's attention a new case of studio closures for "ambiguous" corporate reasons. Spanish studio Aheartfulofgames, an in-house studio of Outright Games, and developers of, among others, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed, DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms, and DreamWorks Spirit: Lucky's Big Adventure, is to close completely, and its 28 workers made redundant.
Representatives of the studio's workers allege that the entire team has been in limbo for months following the systematic cancellation of two (publisher-approved) game projects last February, which was directly followed by a non-invitation to participate in a company meeting, like the publisher's other internal teams, in May. Meanwhile, according to the workers, OG continued with the acquisition of studios and staff.
Outright Games has sent an official statement to Gamesindustry.biz after consulting them about the closure, which has been communicated through the "Coordinadora Sindical del Videojuego", a trade union for video game workers in Spain. It reads as follows:
"We can confirm that Outright Games has initiated a formal consultation process on the proposed closure of Aheartfulofgames.
"This is a difficult situation and is not a decision we have taken lightly. We recognise the dedication of the team and understand the impact this may have on those affected.
"We have been in discussions with the studio's management over the past six months, following an internal review, and discussions are ongoing with employee representatives as we work to confirm the best possible package and support for the team.
"Outright Games remains focused on delivering high quality family entertainment and building a sustainable structure to support that goal."
Given that the dismissal has not been agreed between workers and the company, CSVI has initiated industrial action while a solution is agreed with the executive. The situation is reminiscent of what Gamereactor reported a couple of weeks ago about the fate of Secret 6 Madrid by its publisher Testronic, who will execute the closure this week.