Insurgency: Sandstorm studio being shut down by Embracer Group

2023 has not been the best year for Embracer Group. After spending countless amounts of money on acquiring a whole host of developers and game studios, the holding company has had to let many of them go as a result of a failed $2 Billion deal. The latest studio to have been unfortunately affected by this is New World Interactive – known for creating the much-loved Insurgency series.

As reported by Insider Gaming, Embracer Group has decided to completely shut down New World Interactive as part of what the Group has called “restructuring”. While yet to be officially announced, employees were reportedly informed on Monday morning – undoubtedly a surprising revelation.

For the uninitiated, the Insurgency series includes two titles, both of which are widely praised by fans for their commitment to realism and military tactics. These multiplayer FPS games found their own niche, with both titles remaining popular despite the first entry releasing almost a decade ago.

New World Interactive was acquired by the Embracer Group in 2020 and while we had yet to see a new title from the studio, multiple projects were said to be in the works. As with many of the ‘restructurings’ committed by the Embracer Group, it seems as though this necessity comes as a by-product of the holding company’s own failures to secure funding, and has little to do with the studios and their output.

In this era of constant acquisitions, it is highly discouraging and problematic to see so many smaller companies being absorbed into larger groups only to then be thrown out for no real reason. Hopefully indie studios are beginning to wise up to the fact that these massive corporations see them only as a potential source of revenue and little else.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest announcement? Did you enjoy the Insurgency series? Should companies be allowed to shut down studios so soon after acquiring them? Let us know down below.

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