Red 5 shutting down Firefall MMO in favour of mobile version
Ex-WoW developers suspending work on sci-fi title just three years after release
Red 5 Studios is closing its one and only title, science fiction MMO Firefall.
Work on the game is suspended as of today, with a post on the studio's website saying the decision had been made "after much review and analysis."
However, this is not the end of Firefall as a concept with the studio revealing it is "currently developing a mobile version of the game". All established players of the PC version have been promised they will be "rewarded greatly in the new game" to compensate for the sudden closure.
Red 5 was founded by former World of Warcraft developers way back in 2005, applying their experience to a first-person MMO title with a sci-fi setting.
Development on Firefall has been far from smooth. In September 2013, 10% of the studio was laid off as it transitioned to a live product support model ahead of launch.
The game launched in summer 2014, with GamaSutra noting that further layoffs were made by the end of 2015. The studio also required a $20m bailout by Chinese MMO operator The9 back in 2010.
There is currently no other information as to why the game is being shut down, or when we can expect to hear more about the shift to mobile. The studio promises "to provide everyone with updates as we have them."
The PC-based MMO genre has been declining for years, but the rise of MMOs and similar titles on smart devices - which have a significantly larger audience - offers the studio a glimmer of hope with its future plans.