Indie publisher Humble Games has reportedly been closed
Update: Humble Games confirms restructuring after 36 employees said to have been laid off
Indie publisher Humble Games has reportedly been closed.
Humble Games is the publishing division of San Francisco, California-based Humble Bundle, which was acquired in 2017 by Ziff Davis through its IGN Entertainment subsidiary.
It has published over 20 titles since 2019 including Forager, Wizard of Legend and TemTem, according to its parent company.
Update
Humble Games has said that it’s restructuring its operations, but that the business is not closing.
“In these challenging economic times for indie game publishing, Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations,” the company said in a statement.
“This decision was not made lightly; it involved much deliberation and careful thought, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects.
“Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will have no impact on operations at Humble Bundle.
“We are acutely aware of the profound impact this decision has on our team members at Humble Games and deeply empathize with everyone affected,” it continued.
“Our team’s contributions have been world-class and invaluable, supporting the launch of our games since we started publishing in 2017. We are committed to navigating this transition with as much empathy and understanding as possible.
“Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved.
“Thank you for your support and compassion during this challenging period. It is deeply appreciated.”
Reports of the division’s closure were shared by impacted employees on LinkedIn and social media platforms on Tuesday.
“At 9AM this morning, 36 employees of Humble Games were told that we were being let go and that the company is shutting down,” wrote Nicola Kwan, who worked in business development at Humble Games.
Emilee Kieffer, senior QA at Humble Bundle, said: “Another year, another lay off! Today is mine and my entire team’s last day at Humble Games.”
Upcoming titles from Humble Games include Never Alone 2, Monaco 2, Wizard of Legend 2 and Lost Skies.
VGC has contacted Ziff Davis for comment on Humble Games’ reported closure.
Well friends, me and the entirety of Humble Games was laid off this morning
If you need senior/lead QA at your game studio HI HELLO I DON’T HAVE A JOB ANYMOOOORE! pic.twitter.com/giAPAiTDsx
— 🎃Emil-EEK!🎃 (@Emilee3D) July 23, 2024
Gamer Network, the family of games media brands including Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz, was acquired by IGN Entertainment in May.
The UK-based games media company was bought for an undisclosed sum from ReedPop, the Pax and New York Comic-Con organiser, which acquired it in 2018.
