Sponsored By

Medieval MMO Gloria Victis and Black Eye Games are shutting down

Add Black Eye Games to the list of game developers that have announced their closure this month.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

August 31, 2023

1 Min Read
Three medieval soldiers fighting in key art for Black Eye Games' Gloria Victis.

Black Eye Games, creator of the medieval MMO Gloria Victis, announced it'll be closing down over the next several months. By Halloween, the game and developer will be officially no more.

On Steam, the Polish developer said it was choosing to close its doors and shut down Gloria Victis due to "mostly financial reasons." The team added that its game "required more and more resources to progress and keep the pace," which led to strain on the 15-person team. 

Gloria Victis has been around since 2012, and Black Eye was candid in calling the game's decade-long development an "extremely challenging undertaking" on the staff and their respective families. 

"Due to continuous work without required rest for so long which eventually led to burnouts," Black Eye wrote, "we won't be able to provide required maintenance on the game much longer."

Black Eye added that as it closes down, it will work to help its current staff transition to other developers. 

August has been filled with closures and job cuts

The end of Black Eye concludes a month that has seen a sizable number of layoffs and closures within the games industry. Days ago, Shadow Gambit developer Mimimi Games revealed it was choosing to close down, in a choice similar to Black Eye's in regards to staff burnout.

Within the last several weeks, BioWare and Blackbird Interactive have laid off exactly (or slightly less than) 50 employees apiece. Similarly, Gearbox Publishing and Imagendary Studios have reportedly suffered staff reductions, either in waves or all at once. 

Earlier today, Embracer closed down Saints Row and Red Faction creator Volition. And at the beginning of August, it shut down Expeditions: Rome developer Campfire Cabal.

About the Author(s)

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like