French developer Black Flag Studio he declared bankruptcy and the studio closed.
The study he was working on The era of orphans before its end, it explained that “communications broke down” between it and its publisher. With no present or future funding, the country's government shut it down, effective immediately.
Black Flag had its concerns about potentially closing in the summer, but said the last few weeks had confirmed it was an “inevitable situation.” Due to the legal specifics of this case, we have been put back in a closed bottle and unable to talk about the situation.”
“Ultimately,” he added, “it appears we are another casualty of the current recession in the video game industry.”
In a Frequently asked questionsBlack Flag explained that it does not own The era of orphans in a way that allows him to bring the survival game to a different publisher. And the money received by the studio via Kickstarter has already been used, hence the “risk” of The era of orphans “didn't pay off.”
Despite this being the final day, Black Flag is “exploring options” to release its most definitive album yet The era of orphans build for players. But he stressed that this is “outside our capabilities” and could be prevented by undisclosed legal issues.
If that build is released, the studio stressed that it “will be nothing close to a final, polished product, but significantly ahead of our previously released demo.”
He also stated that his publisher may continue development of the game with another studio, which is “completely out of our hands”.
Black Flag founder and game director Adrien Forestier gave his thoughts on the team's demise, saying there was “a lot to regret after all the work that went into the many iterations and reboots we went through.”
“Today marks the end of Black Flag in a pretty brutal yet slow-motion way,” he continued. While he recognized The era of orphans Calling it an “elusive concept,” he thanked the staff and players who “made this quarter of my life seem like the blink of an eye.”
“When the time comes, I will reflect on this publicly, even if it only affects a dozen players,” concluded Forestier. “It's heartbreaking to end this adventure with these words and to think of all our supporters that we are letting down. Even if it is the end for Black Flag, I will do everything I can to make sure it isn't the end for Black Flag. The era of orphans.“