The studio behind hit video games including the Payday series and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has hit some serious financial struggles, and it’s not known whether or not the studio will survive through 2019.
The Swedish publisher and developer Starbreeze Studios offered a frank and honest financial earnings report for Q1 2019, admitting it’s expecting a “liquidity shortfall” unless the company gets a serious cash injection from somewhere.
At the moment, Starbreeze has around 580 employees under its wings, meaning a lot of jobs are now on the line.
Starbreeze’s temporary CEO, Mikael Nermark, said [via ComicBook]: “My main task is to secure financing for the company’s future operations,
“This involves both long-term financing we can use to build the Starbreeze of the future, but also making sure that the assets we have determined are unrelated to the core business are managed in a commercially viable way.
“Once this financing has been secured, we will be able to look ahead and present a more detailed strategy for the future.”
The studio recently faced a restructure back in December 2018, but it seems the end might be nigh for Starbreeze.
Nermark has said that the company “currently lacks sufficient secured funds to guarantee continued operations for the next 12 months and is expected to have a liquidity shortfall before mid-year 2019 if no additional funds are provided.”
Whether or not the nearly-600 employees will be out of jobs is unknown, but Nermark did say “there are significant uncertainties that can lead to significant doubts about the company’s ability to continue its business.”
The news follows the acquisition of the failed Walking Dead game, Overkill’s The Walking Dead.
Although there’s no announced games being developed by Starbreeze at the moment, it’s in the process of publishing Psychonauts 2, from Double Fine.
Psychonauts 2 is expected to launch later this year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Featured Image Credit: Starbreeze Studios