11 bit studios' game storefront Games Republic is closing up shop

Online game storefront Games Republic has stopped selling games and announced plans to shut down completely by the end of the year, affording customers a couple of weeks to log in and download their purchases.

This spells the end of a roughly three-year market-building venture by Polish game studio 11 bit studios (This War of Mine), which debuted Games Republic in 2013 and promoted it as a productive mashup of game store and community hub.

"Video game evangelists are becoming more and more important for game developers, but we felt there is no real connection between these two groups," stated Games Republic project director Jakub Kowalski in 2013. "Gamers watch Let's Play materials, read enthusiastic blog posts and get extremely hyped, but then buy games elsewhere."

Kowalski has since left the company, joining fellow Polish game company CD Projekt Red in late 2015. 

Incidentally, Games Republic shouldn't be confused with Game Republic, the Japanese game studio founded in 2003 Yoshiki Okamoto that was ultimately shuttered in 2011.