NetEase is closing one of its studios, just two years after it was first opened.
As per studio head Greg Street, Fantastic Pixel Castle will be shutting down as of November 17. It’s likely that the entirety of the staff at the studio will be made redundant.
“While there is still a chance we can secure funding after that date, it will depend on how much of the team remains,” Street said on LinkedIn. “While we’d love to make our game, our first priority is to help our developers find employment, whether that’s at indie studio Fantastic Pixel Castle 2.0, or at many of the other fine (and hopefully stable) game and tech companies out there.”
Fantastic Pixel Castle was formed in 2023 by NetEase, and had been working on a triple-A fantasy MMO codenamed “Ghost”. Prior to heading Fantastic Pixel Castle, Street was a lead systems designer on World of Warcraft.
“To the literally dozens of people who reached out trying to help us raise capital, or through introductions to people who could, you humble me,” he continued. There is still a chance one of them works out, and it really only takes one. To our supporters at NetEase, thanks for taking a chance on us.
“For our team, I appreciate you coming with me on this journey, and let us hope we can continue to work together.”
The studio’s confirmed closure comes just weeks after Street first announced that NetEase was pulling funding from the studio. At the time, he said that NetEase had been “gracious and supportive” while they looked for a new publisher.
Insider Gaming has reached out to NetEase for a statement on what happened during efforts to find a new partner. Should a response be received, it will be added to this story.
What do you think of NetEase pulling funding and seeing Fantastic Pixel Castle shut down? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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