Relic Leisure has lastly grow to be an unbiased studio. Sport builders like Warhammer 40,000: Area Marines, Firm of Heroes and Age of empires 4been round for nearly 30 years.
Relic first introduced their resolution to go unbiased in March following a sequence of layoffs from former co-owner Sega. Asserting a partnership with new investor Emona Capital, Relic stated it plans to proceed creating real-time technique video games whereas thriving as an unbiased developer. Relic’s aim is to work with publishers whereas investing in established, established IP. The corporate was beforehand bought to Sega in 2013 when THQ filed for chapter. The rights to Homeworld, one of many firm’s most iconic franchises, have been bought to Gearbox Software program throughout a restructuring.
Sadly, after leaving Sega, Relic Leisure skilled much more layoffs. Though the choice to create an unbiased studio could have been made to stop additional pointless layoffs, it turned clear that such conditions couldn’t be fully averted. These layoffs have been accompanied by an industry-wide restructuring that started in 2023 and continued by 2024, affecting a complete of almost 20,000 folks to date.
Evidently extra profitable studios that beforehand partnered with {industry} giants corresponding to Sega, Microsoft and Sony are deciding to go unbiased as a option to survive. To keep away from rampant closures and layoffs that have an effect on whole teams of staff and to avoid wasting as many groups as attainable, firms like Relic Leisure and Toys for Bob have determined to go unbiased, which might drive studios to create video games which are smarter by way of scale and ambition. . however giving them a greater likelihood to proceed making video games in any respect.
