In sobering news for the indie gaming scene, developer League of Geeks has laid off over half its staff and halted work on space strategy title Jumplight Odyssey. The cuts included the entire dev team behind the early access game.
League of Geeks directors Trent Kusters, Blake Mizzi and Ty Carey announced the decision in a statement, citing “rapidly rising costs,” a weakening Australian dollar, underwhelming early access sales, and an industry-wide evaporation of funding opportunities.
“We are devastated to be in this position, and we have done everything in our power to avoid it,” they wrote. “We are so very sorry.”
In a Steam update, Kusters called the process of “saying goodbye to many of our closest friends” traumatic. While hoping this isn’t the end for Jumplight Odyssey, he acknowledged the grim economic reality now facing mid-sized indie studios.
As a goodwill gesture, League of Geeks confirmed 50% of all Jumplight Odyssey profits over the next 12 months will go towards affected employees. Work could resume if fresh funding emerges.
The studio’s other projects were not directly impacted – the upcoming political strategy title Solium Infernum remains on track for its February 2024 launch, and support continues for fairytale board game Armello.
Still, this is a considerable blow, especially for the ambitious Jumplight Odyssey. After showing much promise in early access, its future now hangs by a thread amidst a wider industry funding crisis. Here’s hoping League of Geeks can bounce back, reignite development, and give its spaced-out strategy epic the full launch it deserves.
