Shadowrun dev closes doors

By Ellie Gibson Published 13 September, 2007

But ass kicking will continue.

Shadowrun developer FASA Studio has officially shut down following months of rumours.

Released earlier this year, Shadowrun was the first cross-platform game for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. FASA also developed Xbox titles Mech Assault and Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge.

"It is my sad duty to announce that FASA Studio has officially closed its doors," said studio manager Mitch Gitelman, via the developer's community forums.

"Today was the official last day of employment for those of us who had not moved on to other positions within Microsoft Game Studios.

"While the rumours have been circulating forever, we chose to wait on an official announcement because we didn’t want people’s attention distracted from our last product, Shadowrun, a game we love."

According to Gitelman the team knew the studio was to wind down operations, but continued to support Shadowrun with three updates before making the closure public.

"I am pleased that about half of us have found great positions elsewhere in MGS and Microsoft where they can share their experience and passion with the great people there," said Gitelman.

"I'm saying goodbye to you on behalf of a group of talented and dedicated professionals who busted their humps for the love of the game. I am proud to have worked with and represented them to you and know that wherever they go, they will continue to kick ass."

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (60) Latest comment 4 years ago

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

  • Svecke #1 4 years ago

    Let me be the first one to say: Hah!

  • tobi #2 4 years ago

    lol

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 years ago

    Not very impressive that the first Vista only game to be released and its developer went bust. Win XP and lower are still leading the way.

  • Freylis #4 4 years ago

    What's also sad is that this is probably the last we'll see of the Shadowrun brand as a video game... Bang goes my hopes of a Deus Ex-like RPG :(

  • quantumsheep #5 4 years ago

    Met the founder of FASA a few years ago - he seemed like a genuinely nice guy who loved games.

    This is a real bloody shame imo. And Svecke and tobi - hang your heads in shame, gentlemen.

  • DDevil #6 4 years ago

    Let's play a game of "spot the games developer" in these comments. GamesProgrammer is one I'm sure, but who is the other?

    Hmmmmmmmm...

  • driptray #7 4 years ago

    Sad news: Like a lot of EG'ers I think Shadowrun's a great game that for some reason didn't click with the public and didn't get the audience it deserves. In contrast, you only need to play other mp fps's for a couple of minutes to appreciate just how good it is.

    A belated plug: Shadowrun's the best multiplayer fps you can currently buy for the 360 (imo). By a long way. It's probably cheap now too, so BUY IT!!!! :-)

  • monkey_man #8 4 years ago

    No publicity is bad publicity?

    Shows what a touch-and-go industry it really is.

  • Xerx3s #9 4 years ago

    FASA has been one of the best developers around. A grave day indeed. ;_;

  • Avenger1324 #10 4 years ago

    So how long until the servers get pulled as well?

  • Laserbream #11 4 years ago

    They lost my confidence when Mechwarrior 4 turned out to be an armored-suit game instead of a big-stompy-robot game. Good luck with the job hunting guys.

  • Svecke #12 4 years ago

    @ManicMinerUK

    Of course I am. :)

  • woodnotes #13 4 years ago

    @ ManicMinerUK: They kept the talented ones (half the team - read the article), and got rid of the rest. And in business, if you're not up to the snuff, you're never safe. Fact is, if you're out of work, you're out of work for a reason and you only have yourself to blame. You must try harder.

  • bogrot #14 4 years ago

    I really enjoyed Shadowrun - I wasn't bothered by the lack of single player (as a busy parent i only have time for multiplayer these days) and I wasn't bothered by the number of maps.

    Actually, Shadowrun gave me more pure FUN then any other game I can think of in the last 5 years.

    It's sad but this game will fade in to oblivion

  • Mr.Fahrenheit #15 4 years ago

    Svecke, do us all a favour and let us know when you lose your job, that is assuming you're capable of getting one in the first place.

    There will be a queue.

  • optimusprym8 #16 4 years ago

    just because half found jobs at MGS and the other half didn't doesn't mean that the other half are crap, maybe MGS didn't have enough positions open. If I had positions open I would welcome them with open arms since they are clearly talented and passionate about what they develop.

  • kissthestick #17 4 years ago

    charging full price for the game was insane

  • Darkedge #18 4 years ago

    I think if Shadowrun had been cheaper, it would've sold alot better. £20-25 quid and i'd buy it but for 40 is was not going to happen.

    It's a shame to see any developers die. RIP FASA.

  • Xerx3s #19 4 years ago

    So how long until the servers get pulled as well?

    They won't as fasa has nothing to do with that.

  • timpig #20 4 years ago

    @woodnotes

    started typing a long, sensible, reasoned response to your last post - as someone that's worked in the industry and has been made redundant several times, as have many of my best and most talented friends.

    but I couldn't be arsed to finish it as I'm busy at work.

    instead:

    you're a f**king retarded virgin.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 10:21

  • Xerx3s #21 4 years ago

    Fact is, if you're out of work, you're out of work for a reason and you only have yourself to blame.

    Rubbish. There are loads of reasons why one could be out of work, money being the primary. Rivalry being another.

  • Aurifex. #22 4 years ago

    Bloody shame this. How many more will go in the futre. There will be only the giants left at this rate. Crimson skies was great. RIP.

  • timpig #23 4 years ago

    Most people lose their jobs in this industry due to bad management, lack of publisher foresight, and dodgy investment - not lack of individual talent.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 10:27

  • Madafunkola #24 4 years ago

    I love the managers disregard for professionalism now the doors are closed.
    Apparently "Busted their humps" and "Kicking Ass" are business terms, must put that in my next paper

  • pyrat6 #25 4 years ago

    "Fact is, if you're out of work, you're out of work for a reason and you only have yourself to blame. You must try harder."

    Unbelievably cretinous comment. For the reasons Timpig gives. and it's not just the games industry it's relevant to. I have known people put years into a start-up only to see them unemployed - overnight because of management failings (in this case a shifty CFO).

    I suspect you've either not worked, or work in a nice secure job with no risk.

    (oh - and a big fuck off to anyone else who think people losing their jobs is in any way a good thing)

  • Perk #26 4 years ago

    This is SAD!...

    And a typical trend, I'm betting we're gonna see FASA resurface as a "nice" publishing house within Microsoft in some months.

    Here's to "independent" studios staying with us a big kick to the groin to MS for forcing them into the "VISTA ONLY" trap and loosing out on a LOT of sales :(

  • AndyboyH #27 4 years ago

    *sets ignore poster on Svecke, tobi and woodnotes*

    It was a pretty decent day until I read their comments. Schaudenfreude (sic?) isn't welcome when a good dev studio dies.

  • Calgon #28 4 years ago

    Right MS' fault... sure MS didnt keep them going for the past 5 years at all.

    Wasnt the Vista Only thing to do with the Live Anywhere/PC-360 online support? Which is a nice idea if you ask me, no if anyone's to blame its the gamers for turning their noses up(infact they didnt have a million seller, as far as I know, for a long long time).
    Edited by 3 at 13/09/07 @ 11:21

  • Rirekon #29 4 years ago

    Mech Assault, Crimson Skies, and even Shadowrun were all so under appreciated even though they had such solid game play. Shadowrun is still my online shoot'em'up fun game of choice at the moment.

    FASA, you will be missed.

    Edit: I believe FASA were bought by MS after Mech Warrior 2, they've not been independent since.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 11:18

  • Triggerhappytel #30 4 years ago

    Svecke, woodnotes and whoever else can fuck right off.

    I'm glad you're so blasé about people losing their jobs, and so quick to point the finger of blame at the individuals. You idiotic, thoughtless pricks.

    In today's costly, risk-free industry, independant studios going out of business is never a good thing.

  • barnard666 #31 4 years ago

    Crimson Skies was amazing...I think the lack of a single player in shadow run was always going to be a bad idea...plus it didnt look very pretty...those were the two things that stopped me buying it anyway.

  • The-Bodybuilder #32 4 years ago

    >" if you're out of work, you're out of work for a reason and you only have yourself to blame"

    Which world are you living in and how much does it cost?

  • UncleLou #33 4 years ago

    Not very impressive that the first Vista only game to be released and its developer went bust

    There wasn't a PC demo. Madness, especially for a game that received so-so reviews, but was praised a lot by the gamers. :-/

  • miiiguel #34 4 years ago

    woodnotes: you are a still a student, aren't you? Your argument is tottaly devoid of reason whithin the society we live in.

    on-topic: allways sad when a bunch of ppl is sacked, and I thought Shadowrun was doing well, it stood on Live most played games top for quite while.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 12:11

  • Chaser #35 4 years ago

    FASA were originally a "traditional" role playing game company (e.g. pen and paper) - they went in to games (orginal Mechwarrior computer game anyone?). The PnP business went bust, and MS picked up the compuer department.

    They were always going to disapear - although FASA did have a ton of great IP, they have just gone the way the rest of the "oldskool" pnp games developers with the rise of WoTC :/ For anyone who remembers - [link url=http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/FASA
    ]http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/FASA
    [/link]

    Eathdawn still rocks :D

  • bonker #36 4 years ago

    There's the rub for bollocks genre-twisting design decisions ...

  • Kropotkin #37 4 years ago

    Whilst it's sad to see a developer fold I do find it hard to see why people find Shadowrun more entertaining than jabbing a rusty nail into their left eye.

    For me the game as an amazingly bad half-finished Halflife 2 like mod that never deserved to see the light of day. To say its a robust multiplayer FPS is just plain wrong in my view. Consider the likes of Rainbow Six: Vegas and the like which are much more engrossing than the tree planting floating up ladder nonsence Shadowrun had. The less said about that abortion of a game the better!

  • M83J01P97 #38 4 years ago

    They really needed to get some new maps/game modes sorted out for Shadowrun before this sad closure...

  • smoothn00dle #39 4 years ago

    My heart go out to FASA. They made great games. This is the first time I heard console second party developer close it door. This make M$ look bad.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #40 4 years ago

    I think this underlines precisely how stupid it was to turn one of the world's best-loved RPG franchises into a multiplayer-only action game.

    Whilst I think Svecke et al are out of line, I don't hold with the instant sympathy and glowing epitaphs that some people need to spout when this sort of thing happens. FASA had a bad project and it tanked. Just like everybody predicted it would.

    In fact, I would guess that, since FASA was MS-owned anyway and there will have been no need for exchange of contracts and such, the half of the studio that aren't still in their employ were just sick of working there and wanted to move on. Either that or they're setting up an independent studio on their own, that often happens when something closes.

    I am a software developer, and I've been made redundant when a company has been on its way under, but I've been talented enough to get another job quickly. There's huge demand for development staff, if they don't get snapped up quickly, there probably is something wrong with them.

  • chicknstu #41 4 years ago

    @Svecke

    Yeah... people losing their jobs. Really funny..

    fucking bell-end. Bet you couldn't write a game to save your life.

  • driptray #42 4 years ago

    @Kropotkin .. er .. you're wrong.

  • groovychainsaw #43 4 years ago

    Well, they had some great brands which they failed to capitalise on - making shadowrun a FPS(?!!), on a console with a LOT of FPSs.... /sigh
    Still, hope they manage to get work elsewhere, but someone in their management should be... fired? Not allowed to work in industry?

  • miiiguel #44 4 years ago

    @Mentalist(air) : how do you know they wont be able to find jobs soon, they've just been sacked. On the other end, it's allways a pain (imo) to lose your job either you know you'll be able to find another soon or not. One thing is to leave because you want other is to leave because somebody else decided. You also said they probably deserved to "tank" because they had a bad project, but the decisions werent probably made by those.

  • Rirekon #45 4 years ago

    Why is whenever someone makes an FPS (ie. Shadowrun) everyone starts comparing it games like Counter Strike and Rainbow Six? FPS is a style of game, not a genre!
    Shadowrun is just plain good solid fun, it's been excellently balanced and produces amazing team play even in quick match groups.
    Honestly those of you damning it go and give it a go, yes not including a single player game was a mistake but that hasn't affected how solid the multiplayer is.

  • groovychainsaw #46 4 years ago

    I'm not saying shadowrun was bad, i really enjoyed the demo, but as im not keen on online shooters on the whole, was never gonna pay £40 for it. Maybe £15 ;-). But it was naive releasing it with not much marketing into the middle of summer. They could have released some awesome oblivion/deus ex cross (maybe something a bit like bioshock, but based on shadowrun IP) and done amazingly well, IMHO, but they didnt, they released a bog standard (one or two skills aside ....for the pedants) online shooter with only a limited number of levels and no single player...
    (+ it is a lot like counterstrike, thats why it gets compared to counterstrike...)
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 14:31

  • M83J01P97 #47 4 years ago

    Yeah, you can't say Shadowrun isn't like Counter Strike... it's pretty much a direct copy with a few of it's own twists thrown in for good measure. That doesn't make it a bad game at all, but it very much is a different version of Counter Strike.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #48 4 years ago

    how do you know they wont be able to find jobs soon, they've just been sacked

    I said IF. They might all be brilliant prospective employees. They might be a shower of imbeciles, I don't know.

    You also said they probably deserved to "tank" because they had a bad project, but the decisions werent probably made by those.

    A good team will try their best to do something about bad ideas. Good games project management will react to feedback from the team. Unless you're railroaded by your publisher (and from my experience of working with them, Microsoft aren't that type of publisher), the responsibility for the end product is spread across the whole team.

    So, either Shadowrun's poor reception was their fault, or there were the sort of failures in management that would have pissed the team off so much that it would be best dissolved anyway.

  • DUFFKING #49 4 years ago

    OH NOES SHADOWRUN HAS A GUN BUYING SYSTEM IT MUST BE A COUNTER STRIKE CLONE

    OH NOES IT HAS GUNS IT MUST BE A DOOM CLONE

    etc

    Sorry to hear the devs have closed their doors, it was good of them to stick with SR and it's a shame it never found the audience it deserved.
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 16:56

  • themorganator #50 4 years ago

    @ Svecke, tobi and woodnotes

    You guys are absolute cretins. The only satisfaction I'm gaining from this sad story, is the feeling that all the people on this page know you guys are twats.

    I hope you all lose your jobs soon and you can see how funny it is.

  • Svecke #51 4 years ago

    Ah, drama. :) I'm sorry, the moment FASA released that travesty of a Shadowrun game, I stopped caring about them. Even if I did care, they'll all get new jobs anyway. Cry me a river. (Because, gee, it's not as if the game industry is a - oh, I don't know - growing market? Duuuh.)

  • Diabeu #52 4 years ago

    this sucks

    Shadowrun is great, personally the best online fps available on x360

    oh, and Rainbow6:Vegas sucks big time, unbalanced and glitcher friendly game
    Edited by 2 at 13/09/07 @ 17:55

  • GordonJ #53 4 years ago

    Shadowrun - travesty against the licence
    Mechwarrior 4 - travesty againt the licence
    Mechassault 1 & 2 - travesty against the license

    FASA studios will not be missed by me, all they did was run decent IP into the ground, the only decent game they made (as far as I'm concerned) was Mechcommander 2.

    Never played Crimson Skies, so can't comment on that.

  • Vin #54 4 years ago

    Ugh, idiotic. Seriously. Last night was one of the best gaming nights I've had in ages. Crimson Skies is so insanely polished and deep it hurts, and Mech 2 is pure adrenalin overload. I had to go to work without pants today, my boner was so big.

  • GordonJ #55 4 years ago

    I suppose you like Uwe Boll films too, they're based on gaming IP and have as much in common with the IP that a FASA Studio game has (again, not commenting on Crimson Skies)

  • FortysixterUK #56 4 years ago

    It's always bad when folks lose their jobs , having been made redundant several times over my working career the cold feeling that forms in the pit of your belly when it happens is truly awful. I'm sorry for the coders, artists etc.

    Blame for the Shadowrun game sucking as a shooter when it should have rocked as a vast sprawling RPG likely sits with the companies money men who totally lost the plot and didn't realise what Shadowrun actually was.

    Anyone remember the Shadowrun game on the SNES ? An RPG classic. So why turn it into a generic shooter? Just a shame that hardworking joes get canned because likely the companies managers did not understand the great RPG concept they had in Shadowrun.

  • Skurmedel #57 4 years ago

    A bit sad, I tried out Shadowrun and it was a pretty good game, although a bit too CS for my taste. They deserved to at least have another chance.

  • InternetRed #58 4 years ago

    First FASA goes, then FASA Studios. What will be left of Mechwarrior, Crimson Skies, Earthdawn and Shadowrun? Do Microsoft still own the IPs for those games, and could we still see future versions, or has it all died with the company?

    Svecke: The games industry has no real job security. The ones not hired by Microsoft will now have to pray another large company takes them on, because that's the only way to guarantee you'll have a job in a year or twos time. A friend of mine who worked on the "conflict:" games (conflict desert storm, global storm etc), could be looking at joining the dole queue soon, as the company is "restructuring".

  • driptray #59 4 years ago

    @ Svecke : you have no idea what you're talking about. Redundancy is not funny and isn't a casual inconvenience. "They'll all get new jobs anyway" .. prick.

  • decibel #60 4 years ago

    @ Svecke : you have no idea what you're talking about. Redundancy is not funny and isn't a casual inconvenience. "They'll all get new jobs anyway" .. prick.

    Plingelingmaster