Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, a senior producer who has participated in the development of “World of Warcraft” and “League of Legends”, recently announced that the studio he leads, Fantastic Pixel Castle, will no longer be affiliated with NetEase Games’ first-party studio. If the studio cannot find a publisher for the new fantasy MMORPG "Ghost" under development in the short term, the studio may be forced to close.
Street said on social media: "I want to share the news with everyone that Fantastic Pixel Castle's time as a first-party studio under NetEase Games is coming to an end. NetEase has been extremely supportive in helping us find a new publisher, but in the current market environment, almost no game can easily reach a publishing agreement, let alone a project as large as an MMORPG."
He added: "We are making every effort to find a publisher or investor. At the same time, we also encourage team members to actively explore new career opportunities and support them during this period of uncertainty. If we are unable to find a publisher soon, the reality is that the entire studio, including management, may be affected."
Street thanked the Ghost project community, players who participated in beta testing, and "hundreds of industry insiders who provided us with funding advice." He said: "I really hope that everyone will have the opportunity to experience "Ghost" in the future."
He also paid tribute to the team: "The development team at Fantastic Pixel Castle has created a game that we are proud of. This is one of the best teams I have ever worked with in my career, and team morale and performance statistics are at the highest level I have ever seen."
Street concluded: "Despite the challenges, the past two years have been the most satisfying of my career."
In the current game market environment, difficulties in distribution and financing have become a common phenomenon in the industry. Since the beginning of this year, many large companies, including Microsoft's gaming division, have laid off employees or canceled projects. A similar situation also occurred with Romero Games. Its new FPS project lost financial support in July, but was subsequently approached by multiple publishers. The outside world hopes that Fantastic Pixel Castle can usher in a similar turn of events and continue to complete the development of "Ghost".