Impossible Studios Closing

A Message from Tim Sweeney on the Epic Games Community Website announces Epic is closing Impossible Studios (thanks nin via Kotaku), the developer they formed just six months ago with staff from Big Huge Games, which went under as part of the bankruptcy of 38 Studios. The Epic Games founder explains "it wasn’t working out," and as a result, the iPad game Infinity Blade: Dungeons is now on hold. Here's word:
We’re closing Impossible Studios.

When former members of Big Huge Games approached Epic last year, we saw the opportunity to help a great group of people while putting them to work on a project that needed a team. It was a bold initiative and the Impossible folks made a gallant effort, but ultimately it wasn’t working out for Epic.

In addition to providing Impossible Studios employees with 3 months of severance pay, we’ll be giving the team the opportunity to form a new company with the Impossible Studios name and the awesome Impossibear logo.

This means that Infinity Blade: Dungeons is now on hold as we figure out the future of the project.
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15.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 15:33
15.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 15:33
Feb 9, 2013, 15:33
 
Beamer wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 14:22:
The release date was supposedly in the next few months. They must not have liked what Impossible was doing, because they chose to give them 3 months of pay for nothing rather than push them forward on the game for those 3 months and have something released for a return on investment.

Very good point
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14.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 14:28
14.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 14:28
Feb 9, 2013, 14:28
 
There was a similar story posted with one of the Trenches comic.
13.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 14:22
13.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 14:22
Feb 9, 2013, 14:22
 
Often the companies locking their employees out are a result of bad management but not bad intentions. Usually it's someone like, say, Curt Schilling, running it who believes they can pull of some 25th hour savior. They run as long as they can until it hits the point that the plug has to be pulled. No winding down, nothing graceful, but it's less an evil owner and more a guy that so desperately hoped he could save the place that he never bothered telling anyone there was trouble. Ultimately it sucks for employees anyway.

A few were definitely greedy owners just pulling the plug to focus on other things.



This situation is unfortunate, but I think you can probably see what happened. Infinity Blade is a pretty serious property for Epic, one they're not willing to release a bad game for. The release date was supposedly in the next few months. They must not have liked what Impossible was doing, because they chose to give them 3 months of pay for nothing rather than push them forward on the game for those 3 months and have something released for a return on investment.
Either they couldn't hit milestones, were making a crappy game, or a dungeon crawler on an iPad just isn't something you can make fun.
12.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 13:37
nin
12.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 13:37
Feb 9, 2013, 13:37
nin
 
Fantaz wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 04:57:
Their company logo was a bear with wings?? ...

nin wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 03:57:
I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic, but like Lith said, at least they got 3 months. In the past, we've heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch...

It sucks, no doubt. But they got a better deal than some folks. Hopefully they'll get something else lined up soon. Good luck to them.


"... heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch..."

Oh wow.. please tell me who did that, I'd really like to know. Why would they even do that?

I remember hearing about it a number of years ago (I thought here, but I'm still searching). I did find this but I'm not sure if it's the one I was thinking of...


11.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 11:52
11.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 11:52
Feb 9, 2013, 11:52
 
Oh wow.. please tell me who did that, I'd really like to know. Why would they even do that?

Seriously? That was very nearly the status-quo in the 90s.

Tremor Entertainment?
3D0?
Midway in the Bay Area CA had at least one layoff like that (prior to closing)

I wish I could remember all of them. They were so numerous that it just became the norm in my mind, and I'm really just left with a few stand-out instances and a burning sense of spite and bitterness in my mind where the facts used to reside.

This kind of went away since games went fully mainstream. Too much publicity if it happens now.


10.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 08:37
10.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 08:37
Feb 9, 2013, 08:37
 
Well the guys who worked on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes got the axe in the middle of a parking lot...
9.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 07:34
9.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 07:34
Feb 9, 2013, 07:34
 
Fantaz wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 04:57:
Their company logo was a bear with wings?? ...

nin wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 03:57:
I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic, but like Lith said, at least they got 3 months. In the past, we've heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch...

It sucks, no doubt. But they got a better deal than some folks. Hopefully they'll get something else lined up soon. Good luck to them.


"... heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch..."

Oh wow.. please tell me who did that, I'd really like to know. Why would they even do that?

I only remember that it was a studio of a social gaming company. It had been rumored that it was from Zynga, but I never heard that a name was confirmed.
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8.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 04:57
8.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 04:57
Feb 9, 2013, 04:57
 
Their company logo was a bear with wings?? ...

nin wrote on Feb 9, 2013, 03:57:
I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic, but like Lith said, at least they got 3 months. In the past, we've heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch...

It sucks, no doubt. But they got a better deal than some folks. Hopefully they'll get something else lined up soon. Good luck to them.


"... heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch..."

Oh wow.. please tell me who did that, I'd really like to know. Why would they even do that?

This comment was edited on Feb 9, 2013, 05:55.
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7.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 04:06
7.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 04:06
Feb 9, 2013, 04:06
 
Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 23:06:
They're closing Impossible? Inconceivable!
Golfclap well done sir
6.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 03:57
nin
6.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 03:57
Feb 9, 2013, 03:57
nin
 

I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic, but like Lith said, at least they got 3 months. In the past, we've heard stories of management locking the doors while the employees were out at lunch...

It sucks, no doubt. But they got a better deal than some folks. Hopefully they'll get something else lined up soon. Good luck to them.

5.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 9, 2013, 03:43
5.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 9, 2013, 03:43
Feb 9, 2013, 03:43
 
Tim Sweeney is a class act, how many founders would treat their employees this way under these conditions?

I hear Austin, TX is looking for developers...
4.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 8, 2013, 23:25
4.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 8, 2013, 23:25
Feb 8, 2013, 23:25
 
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means"
Avatar 46370
3.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 8, 2013, 23:06
3.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 8, 2013, 23:06
Feb 8, 2013, 23:06
 
They're closing Impossible? Inconceivable!
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
2.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 8, 2013, 21:18
2.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 8, 2013, 21:18
Feb 8, 2013, 21:18
 
Verno wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 20:55:
Sometimes internal politics and cultures clash, a shame but it sounds like Epic was pretty generous.

I agree, 3 months severance pay alone is above and beyond.
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1.
 
Re: Impossible Studios Closing
Feb 8, 2013, 20:55
1.
Re: Impossible Studios Closing Feb 8, 2013, 20:55
Feb 8, 2013, 20:55
 
Sometimes internal politics and cultures clash, a shame but it sounds like Epic was pretty generous.
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