Bold reality: studios can be forced to shut down when funding dries up and publisher support disappears. Three Fields Entertainment, the studio behind Wreckreation, has just given its entire team a redundancy notice, signaling a rare and alarming moment for a developer supported by THQ Nordic.
CEO Fiona Sperry broke the news on LinkedIn today, describing it as “one of the hardest messages of my career.” She explained that after twelve years building Three Fields Entertainment, the team is being placed on redundancy as the studio “will not see revenue from game sales for the foreseeable future.” Sperry added that most of this year’s development and all post-launch content were funded by the company itself, with no ongoing financial backing from the publisher to sustain continued development.
The decision, Sperry stated, was extraordinarily painful. She noted that the team had several features, updates, and creative ideas lined up, some of which are demonstrated in a video linked in the post. Her hope is that sharing this in-progress work publicly might catch the eye of someone who sees potential and could still create an opportunity for the studio.
Even if such an opportunity never materializes, Sperry emphasizes that the move stands as a testament to the studio’s vision and to the talent, passion, and skill of its small team. She reiterates belief in the game’s potential and in the people who built it.
Contextual backdrop: this isn’t the first THQ Nordic collaboration to face layoffs. Last year, Pieces Interactive reportedly reduced staff after releasing Alone in the Dark. THQ Nordic sits under the Embracer Group umbrella, which has implemented several restructuring programs in recent years. In the same week, reports surfaced that Eidos-Montréal, another Embracer studio, laid off employees and canceled most internal projects.
Game Developer reached out to THQ Nordic for additional information.
About the author: Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. He covers video games for outlets including The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and others, and runs Into the Spine to support new writers. He also co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series, and is often found gaming, especially rhythm titles.
