Update: Australian studio Torus Games "hibernating" after laying off dev team

Update (03/05/24): Torus founder Bill McIntosh has told Game Developer the studio is "hibernating" and hopes to return someday. He confirmed the dev team has been laid off but said Torus isn't being wound up.

"Our news is the same as many other developers. We've been chasing work for the last year, lots of projects in discussion but nobody signing anything up," he wrote in a statement sent to Game Developer.

"We spent a lot of our resources creating prototypes to support our pitches. In the end, we ran out of money late last year and were forced to give the team notice. The hope was that something would be signed sometime during the notice period but that never happened.

"Torus isn't being wound up. We're basically hibernating until we work out what our next opportunity will be. It's a good chance for us to rethink what we should focus on."

Original story: Melbourne-based studio Torus Games has effectively shut down after 30 years.

That's according to a brief X thread from freelance science and tech writer, Jack Ryan, who claims the studio has laid off eight employees and is essentially no more.

Torus was established by Australian game developer Bill McIntosh in 1994 and has worked on a number of licensed titles including World War Z: Aftermath, Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers, Spider-Man: Battle for New York, and Shrek Smash N' Crash Racing.

Torus worked on over 120 games

On its Linkedin page, Torus explains it has launched over 120 titles across 200 SKUs spanning the Game Boy era to modern platforms. "We've released on over 33 platforms, including all Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox versions. We've explored mobile gaming from N-Gage to the present, PC & Facebook, and platforms like Leapfrog, Kindle, plus VR and AR," wrote the studio.

"Our expertise lies in multi-platform projects and superior content. Recent works include Matchpoint Tennis, WWZ's console ports, and involvement in 2K Lego Racing. We've collaborated with high-profile clients including Disney, Mattel, Activision, Atari, Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, Marvel, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Cartoon Network, and many more. The recurring patronage of our clientele attests to Torus' reliability and efficiency."

McIntosh reportedly told Ryan that Torus had been attempting to kickstart new projects for over a year, but ultimately couldn't find a partner willing to push ahead with development.

Torus will now "continue as a business for the time being" under McIntosh, but is now essentially a one-person company.

Game Developer has reached out to Torus and McIntosh to confirm the news.