[Pave Low]

Rumours are sweeping the net that GRIN might be closing it's Barcelona & Gothenburg studios and laying off some staff at it's HQ


sad news if it is true

you can see a kotaku.com article on it here Rumor: Mass Layoffs Hit Bionic Commando Developer GRIN

[kleaneasy]

Very sad, but given the current climate not surprising, we've already seen a UK dev go bust since the financial crisis started and I doubt they'll be the last

[Rocky]

That's a shame, it seems like only yesterday they were expanding all over.

[Sup]

But their last few games haven't met the financial or critical success anyone hoped for, so it's not really surprising considering the climate. They're still better off than a lot of big gaming companies, especially in europe.

[Sup]

As if on cue;

Deadline Games files for bankruptcy

more bad news out of europe, deadline games closes its doors.

[NoQuarter]

Glass half-full...Survival of the fittest (devs) will equate to a better product.
Glass half-empty...Job security will mean pubs (and those nervous devs) will be even more inclined to stay in a cookie cutter mode and offer only safe, mass-market oriented product.
____
Trying times, are these.

[Sup]

A little bit of both, probably. The industry is quickly moving toward a focus on smaller, easier to develop projects. Expect a much larger ratio of small casual or indie games to big blockbuster AAA games. I'm sure the breed of big budget halos and Call of Dutys wont die out, i'd just expect to see a lot less competition for the top dogs in the games industry. The financial climate just isnt right for risking that much capital on unproven developers.

Interestingly Blackfoot Studios' focus on Sky Gods instead of Ground Branch is an example of the kind of thinking that's getting pretty common -- better to pay a small team to make a small game than to try and get massive investments for a huge risk, in these times.

[Malleus]

Report: Developer GRIN Sees More Layoffs, Studio Closures

Quote

Gamasutra has learned from reliable development sources that Stockholm-based developer GRIN has seen significant layoffs,
and may be facing difficulty staying afloat.

[kleaneasy]

I was literally just reading about this on another forum. I do hope they can get through this, its a tuff time for business across the board and always sad to see any go under.

[Pave Low]

GRIN clams on closure talk, staff back from holiday

Quote

GRIN has just refused to comment on overnight talk that it’s in danger of closing.

“At the moment we have no comment to anything [related to] that matter,� said a rep for the Swedish developer.

When pushed, the response became flatter.

“No,� said the spokesperson when asked if they could confirm any truth in the initial report.

“We’re not commenting.�

Another staffer told VG247 that all GRIN staff returned from a vacation yesterday.

If this Gamasutra report is to be believed, they were met with bad news.

[Serellan]

Sad to see another studio go down. Good luck with Outbreak, guys.

Quote

It's official. No more gold teeth will be added to that gruesome smile, as GRIN, the Swedish developer responsible for games like Bionic Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate and more is closing its doors due to "an unbearable cashflow situation."

In a letter from GRIN founders Bo and Ulf Andersson, the CEO and director, respectively, write that "too many publishers have been delaying their payments" to the developer, ending the 12-year-old company officially.

The Anderssons lament their "unreleased masterpiece that we weren't allowed to finish," going on to thank their partners and the publishers who apparently did pay them.

GRIN Is Officially Dead, Spawns Outbreak

[Pave Low]

Dam it, what a terrible shame

Here's Hoping something else does indeed rise from the ashes


posted at the GRIN website:

Quote

The last Credits from the brothers GRIN
* 12/08/09 Stockholm, SWEDEN *


It is with a heavy heart we announce today that GRIN has been forced to close its doors. This as too many publishers have been delaying their payments, causing an unbearable cashflow situation.

After twelve years of hard work, employing hundreds of wonderfully talented men and women, it is over. It has been a great adventure and the GRIN family has experienced what few have.

Looking back at twelve years of games, titles such as Ballistics, Bandits, GRAW 1 & 2, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Terminator: Salvation, Bionic Commando and our unreleased masterpiece that we weren’t allowed to finish; it has been a great ride.

We would like to thank a few special companies and individuals that have meant a lot for us during these years:

Phil Scott & Phil Wright and crew at Nvidia

Greg, Chris, Guy, Leigh and crew at Intel

Fabrice, Stephane, Mathieu, Romain, Nouredine and the rest of the team at UBI Soft for the wonderful opportunities on GRAW – you kicked us off, thanks!

The crew at SEB who stood by us at all times

Adam Boys and the guys at CAPCOM US. Thanks for being honest, a rare gift.


The biggest hug goes to all of our great team members and their families. We had a lot of fun even though we were fighting crazy hours and producers.

The final thanks goes out to our GRIN mom, Annelie – you stood by us and the company from birth to death – without you none of the great times would have happened.


And to all our gamers – we hope you had a good time.


brb… /afk

Bo Andersson, Founder & CEO. Ulf Andersson, Founder & Director.

[Rocky]

Yeh this is very sad. Their rapid growth post GRAW was really something to see, it's a real shame it hasn't proved sustainable.

Good luck GRIN team, hopefully something will turn around for you eventually.

[jsonedecker]

I'm sure there are many parts to why they shut down, and why any company shuts down for that matter, but one thing to pull away from this is the funding model that the industry uses is broke. Unless you have a nice "sugar daddy" publisher to partner with, independents like GRIN live hand to mouth and rely heavily on any royalty payments a game may generate.

The reality is, both from flat typical flat sales and equally "creative" budgeting by publishers, that games just don't make royalties that are big enough to sustain companies anymore. Burn rates for studios making these high end games is just way too high and 9 out of 10 times a publisher is paying you just enough to make payroll for the month. It's very hard to build a decent profit, or any profit, into these contracts.

Some say "survival of the fittest" and that is a good way to look at business in general, but in a lot of cases good "fit" studios go under simply because of a bump in cash flow. And in our business publishers control cash flow. Profit isn't king in the business world... cash flow is.

Anyway, it's sad to see another studio go under and I wish these guys/gals the best.

[Brainman2k]

Hi all,

i want to say "thank you" for developing GRAW and GRAW2, which i enjoyed very much. After Grins closure the PC-Market for tactical shooters will miss a great developer. I hope that all the talented staff will find their way and will go on to develop great games in the future. As for the Ghost Recon Series...we'll see...