Second Wave studio Challengers Games shuts down
Korean developer currently under investigation by the Ministry of Labor and Employment as it amassed millions in debts
Challengers Games is shutting down, with its latest title Second Wave no longer available as of yesterday.
In a long post shared on the studio's website, CEO and studio head Koji Tamura shared that the Seoul-based firm has ₩2.4 billion worth of debts (around $1.7 million), and is currently under investigation by the Ministry of Labor and Employment.
The company's accounts have been seized, and the teams have not been paid since March 2024, he added, saying they were "hoping for a miracle."
This follows ongoing struggles with funding and development of its titles Illang and Second Wave, the latter having been poorly received when it came out in Early Access last month.
"I'm afraid that Second Wave will unfortunately not be able to continue in July, because quite frankly, we have absolutely no money to pay for the servers, and ultimately the servers will end up shutting down," Tamura said,.
He continued: "I wanted to make the game a success, but I apologise to everyone for not being able to do so. I also feel a heavy responsibility for the overdue wages. I will find a way to pay everyone."
Tamura said it's not impossible that Challengers Games will be back though, adding: "We will start over and we will announce things when we are ready."
Players who purchased Second Wave on Steam will be refunded, and its Discord server will shut down in July.