Flaming Fowl Studios, the UK developer co-founded by former Lionhead employees, has been severely impacted by the current downturn in games industry investment. The Guildford-based studio announced and simultaneously shelved their new co-op RPG Ironmarked this week after failing to secure funding from publishers.
Flaming Fowl had been self-funding Ironmarked’s development for nearly a year after their previous publisher unexpectedly dropped the project last June. Despite pitching to over 30 publishers, CEO Craig Oman said they were repeatedly told “the game looks great, the team looks great, but we’re not signing anything right now.”
The lack of interest forced Flaming Fowl to halt production on Ironmarked and lay off more than half of its 30-person team last Friday. “It’s been difficult…I just hope they all find work quickly, because that’s the really painful thing,” Oman lamented.
He attributed publishers’ reticence to the mid-sized budget of around £5 million for Ironmarked, saying “People were either looking to sign stuff for a few hundred grand, or up to the £20-40 million range.” This contrasts with just 18 months ago when Flaming Fowl had multiple offers to publish the game following their hit Gloomhaven adaptation.
The severely constrained environment for securing funds is a recent phenomenon, influenced by economic headwinds and a broader games industry crisis that has seen thousands lose their jobs. As one developer put it, “It’s nearly impossible today” to crowdfund or start a new studio.
Despite shelving the project, Flaming Fowl released a free Ironmarked demo on Steam this week. Oman hopes this elevates interest that could help revive it: “If players want to help bring it back to life, the best thing is to Wishlist it on Steam. Wishlists are a hugely important metric for anyone trying to launch on Steam that you can show publishers.”
In the interim, the remaining 9-person team is developing a smaller self-funded strategy game with the goal of release by year’s end. However, Oman worries about larger impacts, saying “If this is what it’s going to be like, developers are going to move elsewhere to more stable industries.”
He drew parallels to his Lionhead days, where several ambitious projects like the Kinect title Project Milo and Xbox adventure BC were ultimately cancelled before the entire studio closed in 2016. It was this experience that motivated the Ironmarked demo’s release, as Oman “wanted the game to see the light of day” rather than be forgotten.
Industry analysts predict the difficult market conditions could persist for up to two years. If so, Oman cautions that beyond immediate layoffs, the long-term costs of an extended investment drought may be even more damaging for game developers and the vibrancy of the medium itself
