Elixir Studios to close

By Games Industry.biz Published 28 April, 2005

Latest casualty of "risk-averse publishing climate".

British independent developer Elixir Studios has announced that it has commenced winding down its operations after a key title was cancelled, but efforts continue to rescue some of the firm's projects.

All of the company's staff will be laid off by the end of the week, although some will continue to work for the firm on a freelance basis, and full redundancy packages will be paid to all employees.

"The important thing to us is that we're in control of our own destiny," Elixir CEO Mark Hewitt told GamesIndustry.biz this morning. "We won't just run up against a brick wall like some developers have. We'll still have money in the bank when we close, we'll treat our staff as they should be treated and help them to find new jobs."

The closure of the studio should also have no bearing on Republic Dawn, the massively multiplayer title which was being co-developed by Elixir and Cambridge-based MMOG experts Nicely Crafted Entertainment, according to Hewitt.

"We were giving technical advice to them on their project, as opposed to any other support," he explained. "We'll still be able to provide that technical advice, and that project should be unaffected."

Elixir was founded seven years ago by Demis Hassabis, and has had two published games - political simulation Republic, which was published by Eidos, and last year's well-received strategy title Evil Genius, published by VU Games.

"I'm very proud of what all the staff at Elixir have achieved and the games we produced," Hassabis said in a statement this morning. "We gave it everything we had but ultimately it wasn't quite enough. It seems that today's games industry no longer has room for small independent developers wanting to work on innovative and original ideas. Perhaps there is no longer any need for them."

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Comments (40) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Teeth #1 7 years ago

    I was very sorry to hear this. It's good to hear they're doing the sensible thing and letting people go early enough that they can pay them redundancy. My sympathy goes out to the affected people.

  • #2 7 years ago

    Tears of MD. World is spinning out of control. Mwaaaaaaaaah.

  • Blerk #3 7 years ago

    Is anyone still left working in the games industry?

  • Eldritch #4 7 years ago

    "Perhaps there is no longer any need for them."

    There is definitely no need for self-styled, self-pitying 'entrepeneurs', who don't know how to make a sellable product.

    @norhty: Right on, mate.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/05 @ 13:40

  • bionutz #5 7 years ago

    That's very harsh to say. Were they claiming to revolutionise the industry?

  • Wobbler #6 7 years ago

    The infamous "infinite monkey" engine comment in EDGE.

    Edit: That being said, if they are doing what they are saying and winding up with full redundancy to all employees, then well done to them. A far too rare practice these days.

    /glares at Jez San.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/05 @ 13:47

  • marilena #7 7 years ago

    Yeah, they pretty much were claiming they will revolutionise the industry. Probably one of the things Hassabis picked up from his time at Lionhead.

    Still, it's a pitty. Evil Genius was better than Republic and I was convinced their next attempt will succeed all the way. We'll never know now.

  • Eldritch #8 7 years ago

    They had their two attempts, which is more than most developers get. So I don't quite see why I should pity them. Rogue Games ("Alice";) never had a second chance, and they didn't tell everybody how to do it.

    True, it IS a pity that good craftsmen lose their jobs because of crappy management, but that's a fact of life, in any business.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/05 @ 14:02

  • Clive_Dunn #9 7 years ago

    So long, and thanks for all the polygons.

  • d0bbo #10 7 years ago

    Republic was a massive cock-up, what was the point of the 3d engine in the end? It was just used for watching cut scenes. Evil Genius was slightly better, but was still pretty boring.

    They had some good ideas but didn't turn them into good games.

  • Teeth #11 7 years ago

    I was really impressed with Evil Genius, at least by the demo. Thought the animation was great, voice work was excellent, UI was really good, humour spot on, atmosphere well-done.

  • Eldritch #12 7 years ago

    Yes, but it didn't sell. It should've come out, when "Austin Powers" was all the rage, not years after that.

  • Thamuhacha #13 7 years ago

    Shame. Games aside, there were alot of very nice and talented people there.

    And well done to them for paying up and doing it properly. Makes a change from the board buggering off with millions for doing a shit job and the employees getting nothing. Naming no names.

  • bionutz #14 7 years ago

    ok, then in this case "The bad news is, yes all of you will be laid off, but the good news is I'm in control of our destiny". There is no good news, David!

  • Eldritch #15 7 years ago

    I remember quite vividly, when our boss sold the company and told everybody in the last meeting (shortly before the lay offs began): "Trust me, they had to pay a lot for it." Cheers, mate. Feeling better already.

  • Clive_Dunn #16 7 years ago

    "And well done to them for paying up and doing it properly. Makes a change from the board buggering off with millions for doing a shit job and the employees getting nothing. Naming no names. "

    Ha, you know you want to !

  • Thamuhacha #17 7 years ago

    >Ha, you know you want to !

    Yes. I do.

  • Eldritch #18 7 years ago

    It was the publisher what did it!

  • Clive_Dunn #19 7 years ago

    ^^

    I don't believe Republic was ever a good game, a shit concept badly implemented. Apart from that it was fantastic.

  • Bezzy #20 7 years ago

    I'm sorry to hear this, but this kind of thing raises my hackles:

    "It seems that today's games industry no longer has room for small independent developers wanting to work on innovative and original ideas. Perhaps there is no longer any need for them."

    Yes, it's hard, but this is defeatist. Thanks for the moral boost on your way out. Jesus.

  • Thamuhacha #21 7 years ago

    >1. That level of Hyperbole rarely comes from designers or developers, but is usualy the result of some bean counter completely missing the point of a random briefing/presentation.

    Oh FFS. The "evil marketing/management bastard" argument eh?

    We just make stuff up based on design doc ver 0.0001 don't we. And then hang the little buggers out to dry when they can't do it.

    On the other hand, maybe we should just be hugely sceptical about any game we get shown and sell the game on the assumption that 75% of the features won't make it. That would be good.

    People SERIOUSLY need to get over this idea that the plucky little developer is fighting against the corporate publishing behemoth and realise that both sides make mistakes as often as they get it right.

    /fumes
    Edited by 2 at 28/04/05 @ 14:44

  • Bezzy #22 7 years ago

    "People SERIOUSLY need to get over this idea that the plucky little developer is fighting against the corporate publishing behemoth and realise that both sides make mistakes as often as they get it right. "

    The latter is certainly very true, but it's not like the former isn't, either.

  • Wobbler #23 7 years ago

    And the infinite polygon engine wasn't marketing spiel. It first turned up in Demis' Developer Diary in Edge (I can't remember the issue number, but I can dig it out if you want.) And he said:

    "I hope that Republic: The Revolution will change the conceptions people outside the games industry have on what games can be about, and that non-games players as well as hardcore gamers will enjoy playing the game. I want to challenge the industry and make them sit up and notice that all this cool new technology we have can be used to create exciting, original and interesting new game environments. I really feel we are on tip of a massive iceberg and I see no limit to where games can go. I feel that with Republic: The Revolution we are exploring way beyond the limit of where the industry is at the moment."

    this is a good interview with him.

    and in another interview Hassabis comments, "The state of the art at the moment, 30,000 polys per frame, they wouldn't even be able to render a brick of ours."

    Riiiiiiight Demis. We aren't good enough to render your bricks. That didn't endear him to the rest of the industry, especially when he went on to release a game that looked like this and this despite over 4 years in development.
    Edited by 2 at 28/04/05 @ 15:26

  • Clive_Dunn #24 7 years ago

    I'm with insiderX here, you are making yourself look foolish.

  • Royal Fool #25 7 years ago

    Oh man, this is a huge blow to the industry.

  • reprev #26 7 years ago

    Thanks to those who have wished the team well in the future. We had a great game in development, but it sadly wasn't to be.

    Jon.

    /off to find a new job

  • bloke #27 7 years ago

    It's a bummer - on a number of levels.

    But whatever - there *is* still a place for indie developers - I just think they have to accept that fings are not what they used to be.

    Good luck to everyone involved in Elixir in the future - I too was looking forward to what the 3rd game was going to be.

  • reprev #28 7 years ago

    Many thanks, Lowrin.

  • Xerx3s #29 7 years ago

    Tyvm to SHIT companies such as €A! They are the DIRECT cause of this sort of things! The original small companies that try to inovate and entertain dont get any chance because of the massive spam of mediocre/bad sequel games from €A. Even more thanks to all the DF's who actually buy that kinda crap instead of buying good games just because they fall for the advertorial indoctrination.

  • tiddles #30 7 years ago

    Redundancy pay for an infinite number of monkeys? That's gonna cost...

  • Sko #31 7 years ago

    "Tyvm to SHIT companies such as €A!"

    Heheh. You must have been over the moon when they introduced the Euro. How can we make EA sound as evil and money grubbing as Microsoft. Oh man, if only there was some way to mock EA in the same fashion as the hilarious and not-all-tired way as writing 'M$'. Just look at that shit! It just screams "We're all about the cash, bitch!".

    Nah, I don't think yours is going to catch on, mate :)

  • Pirotic #32 7 years ago

    one half decent game in what, 6/7 years?

    its nothing to do with climate, you cannot afford expensive offices when you're only games are selling for £9.99 in the bargin bin.

    He seems a nice enough chap (i beat him at chess once - wahey) but he doesn't half get these grand ideas which dont actually make very fun games. the bullfrog effect.
    Edited by 2 at 28/04/05 @ 18:10

  • mrpsb #33 7 years ago

    re: "The Bullfrog Effect"

    Bullfrog were actually really quite good once upon a time, then Molyneux left and all they did were produce slightly dodgy sequels to his best ideas.

    It's really more like "The Latter-day Molyneux Effect". His latest announcement about a game allowing you to live your entire life out etc etc. SHUT UP PETER, WE ALL KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A SIMS CLONE.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/05 @ 18:37

  • Wobbler #34 7 years ago

    /agrees with ForMula.

    I don't want to see the "little guy" fail, and I certainly don't want the world of games to be a parade of "Licensed Sequel Shite 200X" from EA, but I do think Demis made a lot of mistakes, and it seems that only Peter Molyneux can get away with promising the Earth whilst delivering mediocrity.

    Good luck to all the ex-Elixir bods, though.

  • Bezzy #35 7 years ago

    "I can hear the games buying public crying right now.

    Oh wait, no I can't. Because nobody wanted Elixir's games, which is why they went under. It's all very well them blaming the publishers, but once the game's on the shelves they can't exactly force people to buy it. "

    It's a more complex issue than that. Some games are good and don't sell well because there's not enough marketing behind them. Some games are bad and don't sell well because there's not enough marketing behind them. Some back games sell well due to good marketing.

    But good marketing + good game? Well, it's an idea we all strive for.

  • Bezzy #36 7 years ago

    Yes.

  • Teeth #37 7 years ago

    "could care less"

    Get back to the USA, fiend!

  • Varsity #38 7 years ago

    www.steampowered.com
    www.direct2drive.com

    The sooner people like Elixr start to distribute online, the better off everybody will be.

  • ParticleMan #39 7 years ago

    Online distribution for developers is a mirage. It doesn't matter how you distribute, it's how much money you use to market your product. If online distribution becomes a viable you can bet someone like EA will do it (mobile gaming is a good example of EA waiting for a market to ripen).

    I wouldn't want to rate the chances of companies of the size of Elixir trying to market products against the EAs of the world.

  • Krun #40 7 years ago

    If the games had been better then I would have bought them.

    Seems far too often developers worry about the technology and forget about the "game" and if the games not fun then all the polygons and AI programing in the world wont make it a good game.

    New ideas only work when they're good ideas and old ideas only work when they're done better than before.

    The two game they made failed to be fun.

  • Philp #41 7 years ago

    I'm in agreement with the general consensus here - I'm sorry the studio is finished but its a bit of an arrogant comment - if you want to see innovative, original and radical ideas alive and well take a look at Darwinia, to name a prime example.