Factor 5 Now 6 Feet Under
'Tis a rumor no more: Lair developer and purported Kid Icarus re-imaginer Factor 5 has closed its doors.
In a statement on the website of its parent company, Factor 5 GmbH CEO Achim Moller announced the closure of the studio that gave us Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Haze and Turrican:
We are sorry to announce the closure of the San Rafael-based Factor 5 Inc. studio, but the obstacles created by the sudden bankruptcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate.Factor 5 GmbH, which has been creating games since 1998 with its headquarters in Cologne, Germany, is completely unrelated to Factor 5 Inc. and the circumstances surrounding Factor 5 Inc.'s recent challenges. Although we are saddened by Factor 5 Inc.'s situation, our corporation will remain unaffected by these developments and has partnered with both old and new friends in the industry who will reveal our upcoming projects over the next months.
We would like to thank everybody on the publishing and development side who have supported us throughout the last 20 years and continue to do so. The current transition of the games industry is challenging, but as with transitions prior there is more opportunity than ever for independent development out there.
Achim Moller, CEO Factor 5 GmbH
R.I.P. Factor 5. Thanks for the TIE fighters and - a little less charitably - for the dragons. (As one commenter put it: "Cause of death: motion controls." Although that's not very fair.) The closing of a 20 year-old studio is never a happy moment, even if current events have made it a less uncommon event.
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany on 14 May 2009
Other stuff like this: bankruptcy, closing, factor 5, lair, rogue squadron
