T-Minus Zero Entertainment shut down by NetEase before they could ship their first game

Back in late 2023, a brand new studio known as T-Minus Zero Entertainment was established. Made in partnership with gaming giant NetEase, the studio was co-founded by Bioware Austin’s Rich Vogel and included alumni from the likes of Bethesda and Bioware. Unfortunately, the studio’s life has now been cut short – with T-Minus Zero Entertainment shutting down before they were able to get their first game out the door.

As reported by the publication ‘GameDeveloper.com’ T-Minus Zero Entertainment co-founder and studio head Rich Vogel took to LinkedIn to announce that the recently-established studio would be shutting down; writing:

“Every journey has its twists and turns, and ours with NetEase is coming to an end. We deeply appreciate NetEase for providing us with both ample runway and support – from helping us find potential investors to giving us the time and budget to develop our game into a fully playable hands-on demo. It has generated a lot of interest. However, despite this progress, current market conditions have prevented us from securing the funding we need at this time.”

As mentioned, T-Minus Zero is shutting down before they were even able to get their first game out the door. That said, while we knew very little about what the team was working on, they were previously confirmed to be developing a “third-person online multiplayer action game based on a new sci-fi IP.”

Of course, NetEase itself is unlikely to feel the impact of this cancellation, with the Billion Dollar publisher already owning many popular multiplayer titles including but not limited to Marvel Rivals; FragPunk; Once Human and Naraka Bladepoint.

Still, it is a shame to see yet another studio comprised of industry veterans shutting down before getting the opportunity to launch their first game.

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