Hell Yeah! studio Arkedo goes on hiatus

Hell Yeah! developer Arkedo Studio has gone on hiatus after seven years, with the co-founders moving on to different projects -- although they refused to say that the indie studio is completely dead. The French studio's co-founder Camille Guermonprez told Gamasutra just over a year ago that the company was sailing on "a pretty rough sea," and was very touch-and-go about its future. Following the release of Hell Yeah! last year, both Guermonprez and Aurelien Regard have now decided to move on and work on their own projects, while they still have money left in the bank. "Our team has grown throughout the years and we didn't have any secured project on sight after Hell Yeah!," admitted Regard. As a result, the duo is looking to get new projects underway with the money it does have. "It is important to know when to stop," he added. Regard also noted that Hell Yeah! was simply "a little too big for us," and caused the team to reach its limits as far as time and experience were concerned. Guermonprez has now moved on to a publishing project, while Regard is looking to start a new mini-studio, and plans to produce a new game from scratch. And as for Arkedo, the studio hasn't been shut down -- in fact, it still has a couple of tricks up its sleeve before the pair fully moves on. "Arkedo, the company, is still here," said Regard. "But no one's employed anymore. No more games are produced either." "That's the subtlety of the situation: Arkedo hasn't closed down and is not bankrupt, going into administration or whatever big word, as it is managed properly. It is interesting for the structure to still be here as after Hell Yeah!, we've made two small games which are finished but you're not aware of them yet. We hope to release them soon and it should be fine on this side."