Hip Interactive blamed as Headfirst goes down

Headfirst Productions boss Mike Woodroffe has confirmed that the UK developer has gone into administration, blaming the demise of Hip Interactive and consequent cashflow difficulties.

According to a statement issued by Woodroffe, "The primary reason for this ultimately related largely to the demise of Hip Interactive in the summer of 2005 which created a serious cashflow problem from which the company was never able to recover."

Hip was due to publish Headfirst title Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End, which had been in development for a year.

However, Woodroffe said, "Despite numerous publishers expressing an interest in the follow up title Destiny's End, it became clear that no deal would be finalised before the financial situation reached a critical point."

Woodroffe described the development of PC and Xbox title Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners, which took five years to complete, as "a lengthy and difficult process" that "demonstrated how hard it is to produce an original title in today's risk averse marketplace."

"We are pleased that the game was finally released and largely praised for it's unique features and stellar atmopshere so if nothing else, we will leave a lasting impression on the industry and take some pride in our achievement," he continued.

"The directors of Headfirst would like to take the opportunity to thank the staff of Headfirst for their hard word and dedication over the years and wish them all the best in their future careers."