Opening a studio is challenging.
Keeping one open in a time of industry consolidation is even more difficult.
Canadian game development studioHumanoid Originannounced it is shutting down.
The news is disheartening as Humanoid Originshowed promisewhen Mass Effect Director Casey Hudson announced the studio in 2021.
He said its first project would be an “all-new” AAA narrative-driven sci-fi adventure.
It was an exciting prospect for gamers who have been getting primarily remakes of old games lately.
Unfortunately, making original AAA-quality titles is daunting and expensive, especially in the current economic climate.
So, in that respect, the closure is not all that surprising.
What is surprising is how fast Humanoid Origin’s fall came.
According to IGN, the studio’s most recentjob postingswere in May.
So, in six months, the developer went from hiring to going out of business.
However, the company said it won’t leave its employees hung out to dry.
It wants to help the team find work in other studios or companies that could use their talents.
It is unclear what will happen to Human Origin’s unfinished project.
Interestingly, the studio’swebsiteis still up as if nothing is amiss.
It’s relatively barebones but has a few pieces of concept art presumably related to the now-canceled game.
We’ve included them here for posterity because the company will ultimately shutter the website soon.
