BLITZ GAMES STUDIOS OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Leamington Spa, UK, Thursday 12th September 2013, 11am
For immediate release
Award-winning and highly respected UK independent developer Blitz Games Studios announces that it has ceased trading this morning after 23 years.
Existing management have made every effort to seek avenues for new contracts and external investment but have been unable to secure enough funds to sustain the business in its current form.
However, two of the developer's current projects are self-sustaining financially so Blitz senior management will be forming a new company to service these clients and safeguard approximately 50 of the 175 jobs being lost today. More details on this new company will be released shortly.
In addition, Oxford-based developer Rebellion are also in close talks with Blitz management to potentially hire some of the remaining staff. Any other prospective employers are invited to contact Blitz at [email protected] for details of any staff now seeking work.
Blitz Games Studios Co-Founder and CEO Philip Oliver issued the following comment:
“We have managed to weather numerous storms over the last two decades that have sadly seen the demise of many of our friends and colleagues across the industry, but the run of problems we've had to face over the last year is unlike any we've seen before. Frustrations with clients, the global economic crisis, and more than our fair share of simple bad luck have all conspired against us and we are no longer able to continue trading.
It has been an absolute honour to lead such an extraordinary group of highly talented people who have consistently pushed boundaries and created amazing games that we've been hugely proud of. We've been humbled by the loyalty and commitment that they've all shown over the last 23 years and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of our staff, past and present, for their years of loyalty, their creative drive and their commitment to Blitz and to us.
We have done all that we can to make Blitz a success, and we have come frustratingly close in recent months. Major clients have felt unable to commit to investment in significant projects, others have changed strategy whilst appearing committed, and others have been slow to commit at all – all of these things have continued to hurt our finances. We have also sustained the business for some time with our personal savings but even those reserves have now been exhausted.
We'd like to publicly thank Chris and Jason Kingsley from Rebellion for their support and friendship during this time – they are acting incredibly honourably and helping us to find new roles for as many of our staff as possible. They began their careers in games at around the same time we did and epitomise the positive and supportive culture of long-standing game developers in the UK.
We wish the very best of luck to all the staff who are sadly leaving us today and thank them again for their drive, creativity and enthusiasm. They, like us, are passionate about games, and we call on the rest of the industry to capture their passion and continue the careers of some of the most talented young creatives in the country.”
I thought they meant they bought their studio free from the stock market, or something. But they closed down?
