The French Indie Studio Black Flag has officially shut down and declared bankruptcy. The studio’s online statement revealed that a dispute with its publisher forced it to explore smaller projects. However, over the past few months, all funding dried up, leading to the imminent closure of the studio by French law.
The team emphasized that they could not delve into the specifics of their contract with the publisher, nor did they own the Orphan Age IP in a way that would allow them to seek a new publisher for the project. They also noted that the market is currently very tough for indie publishing. Ultimately, we appear to be another casualty of the current downturn in the video game industry,” the studio stated.
Even if we could re-secure publishing rights, finding someone open to supporting our project could be a complicated, lengthy process.
Black Flag forced to shut down
Development may continue under our publisher, but at this time, that is entirely out of our hands.
Black Flag admitted that the money raised through crowdfunding campaigns had long since been spent, and they could not return funds to backers.
However, they did express hope to eventually release an unfinished build of Orphan Age to the community. “Today marks the end of Black Flag in a pretty brutal way and in slow motion simultaneously. I’m not sure if it signifies the end of Orphan Age as the project may end in other hands, but I hope it finally sees a release,” said studio founder and game director Adrien Forestier.
“I’m alternating between shock and numbness, and it’s just too early for me to address what’s next and why we’re in this situation. It’s heartbreaking to end this adventure on these words and to think about all the supporters we are letting down. As I said earlier, while it’s the end for Black Flag, I’ll do whatever I can so it’s not the end for Orphan Age.”
The forced closure of Black Flag signals yet another challenging moment for the Indie Game development community amid a sustained downturn in the industry.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
