Seattle-based developer Harebrained Schemes announced it is splitting with Paradox Interactive. The news comes as no surprise, given the unsuccessful release of The Lamplighters League, the studio's latest game that launched earlier this month.
Just last week, Paradox announced it would write down the capitalized development costs for the project following the disappointing launch. On Steam, the game peaked two weeks ago at 773 concurrent players; granted, The Lamplighters League is available on Game Pass, but it's still way too low.
Charlotta Nilsson, COO of Paradox, stated:
Paradox has refocused its strategy towards its core niches within strategy and management games with endless qualities. We and HBS’ leadership have been discussing what would happen after the release of The Lamplighters League, but a new project or sequel in the same genre was not in line with our portfolio plans. Hence, we believe that a separation would be the best way forward. We’re very happy that this talented, gifted studio has the chance to continue and can’t wait to see what they will make next.
Brian Poel, Studio Operations Manager of HBS, added:
Harebrained Schemes will support The Lamplighters League through the end of the year while we seek funding and partnerships for an independent future in 2024. Our studio mission remains the same: to make games that challenge your mind and touch your heart.
Founded in 2011 by Jordan Weisman (now busy with his Adventure Forge project) and Mitch Gitelman, Harebrained Schemes is known mainly for its Shadowrun trilogy of cRPG games and the turn-based strategy game BattleTech. The latter game's success convinced Paradox Interactive to acquire the studio for $7.5 million in 2018.
The separation between the two companies will officially take place on January 1, 2024. Paradox will maintain ownership of The Lamplighters League and BattleTech, while Harebrained Schemes will now seek funding, partnerships, and/or investment to continue making games.
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