Romero Games, the studio founded by legendary industry auteur John Romero, has clarified that it is not, in fact, shutting down, and that it’s currently seeking a new publisher for its ongoing project.
In a post on social media, Romero Games says that while it’s true funding for its game was pulled and that development on the game was halted, the studio is “not closed”, and that “any suggestion otherwise is factually incorrect”.
Romero Games goes on to say it held discussions regarding next steps just yesterday, and that while the studio will “reassess” its “entire staffing” structure, it’s “doing everything in [its] power” to ensure closure doesn’t happen.
Technically, Romero Games has never disclosed the publisher for its now-canceled project, although the studio says readers “may infer it from public information”.
Just as a reminder, Microsoft recently undertook a massive layoff wave that saw around 9,000 of its employees affected. As part of that layoff wave, in-development projects like Rare’s Everwild and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark were canceled, with the latter also closing its doors for good.
It seems fairly obvious to me that Romero Games is referring to Xbox as the publisher for its game, although since the project itself was never officially announced, that hasn’t technically been confirmed.
As for the future, Romero Games says it’s “currently evaluating” the “opportunities” that the aforementioned publishers have provided, so it’s entirely possible that the studio’s project will be revived under a different banner. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
Amid cancellations and job losses at Xbox, Microsoft has reportedly claimed that every game shown during its showcase this summer is safe, so to speak. Still, given how suddenly these layoffs appear to have happened, it’s hard to take that assertion at face value.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens next, as well as whether Romero Games manages to find a new publisher for its game. Stay tuned for more.
