Housemarque, the developers behind critical hits such as Resogun, Dead Nation and Super Stardust, have announced in a blog post that they will cease developing “arcade coin-op inspired games” in favour for “multiplayer experiences with strong, robust communities.”
The news comes soon after EA shutdown Visceral Games and announced their singleplayer-focused Star Wars game would be facing a major rework in light of “fundamental shifts in the marketplace.”
Housemarque blame ‘lackluster sales’ of their latest game, Nex Machina, which currently has an average critic score of 88 on review aggregate site Metacritic and an 86 on OpenCritic. In their statement, Housemarque CEO Ilari Kuittinen thanks their fans for their “unfailing love and support” but states “now it’s time to move on to new genres.”
Granting further insight into the shifting trends in the industry, Kuittinen goes on to say, “while this genre will always hold a special place in our hearts, the industry is moving more toward multiplayer experiences with strong, robust communities, and it’s time for Housemarque to move forward with the industry.”
“Looking ahead to our next projects, we are exploring something totally different than what you might expect of us, but we believe this will lead to the creation of even more engaging gaming experiences,” wrote Kuittinen.
“Our core values remain the same – gameplay first with first class execution. We are really excited about our new projects and look forward to unveiling our first game from the new era of Housemarque.”
Whilst it is sad to see Housemarque move on from the genre they have championed over the years, one can hope the same standard we have come to expect from them will remain in their future work.
