Renegade Kid, one of the oldest indie studios I can personally think of, have announced that they’re shutting down the business after nearly ten years in the industry. Fortunately, this wasn’t due to any irreconcilable differences and co-founders Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove’s friendship and respect are still intact. So why the split? In an interview with Nintendo Life, the pair confirm that market conditions for a studio of their size was growing overwhelming.
“It has been a great financial challenge and an extreme workload for the entire team to maintain a balance between cash flow, staying competitive with our games, and spending quality time with our families and friends. Couple these realities with the desire to achieve personal goals, Gregg and I came to the difficult decision to each pursue solo ventures and close Renegade Kid.”
Now for the Delisted angle. In a move that could cause licensing problems down the line, ownership of Renegade Kid’s library has been split between two new studios, Watsham’s Atooi and Hargrove’s Infitizmo. Atooi will take on all of the existing 2D titles including Mutant Mudds and Treasurenauts while Infitizmo handles the 3D games like Moon and Dementium.
No delistings look to have occurred just yet but I’ve reached out to both studios for comment. For the time being I’ve marked this post for the Watch List.