Darksiders Studio Will Close

Karloff

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Oct 19, 2009
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Darksiders Studio Will Close



Vigil's Ben Cureton talks about what it's like to be the last one out the door.

If you've been following the THQ carve-up [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121680-Bankruptcy-Auction-Ends-THQ], then you know at least one asset wasn't picked up in the fire sale: Vigil Games. This means that the studio will close.

"We've all been on edge for the past couple months," says Ben Cureton, former Lead Combat Designer for Vigil, "Most of us here joked about it just to keep the mood light, but we all knew what could happen. Now I look around and I realize ... it did happen."

Cureton strove to keep the mood upbeat, in a blog post detailing what it's like to be the last man out the door. After all, he points out, it's not like he hasn't been fired before. He's a twenty year veteran of the games industry; this is hardly the first time he's had the rug pulled out from under him. "Doing what you love comes with a price," he says.

What Cureton's most sorry about is that the team, which put out work he was proud to be a part of, is no more. The project it was working on, codenamed Crawler, would have been spectacular, he says. But Vigil is dead, his team is gone. The office has been stripped. There's nobody left but him.

"And with that," Cureton concludes, "my seat is empty."

The story may not be over yet. Platinum Games, of Bayonetta fame, has indicated some interest; Atsushi Inaba has on the cheap [https://twitter.com/PG_inaba/statuses/294234427452694528]", but at time of writing this is still just talk, with no firm offer made.

still looking for buyers [http://vigilgames.com/] for its unsold assets.

Source: NeoGAF [http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=46817540&postcount=325]


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The_Darkness

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Nov 8, 2010
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Gah. I enjoyed the Darksiders games. They were well thought out and with a good tone, even if there was a bit of an over-reliance on the combat. It was stupidly good fun to have an Ultimate form saved up and just unleash it whenever you felt slightly overwhelmed...

Ah well. I guess I'll replay Death's game again. Still, I'm sad that we won't see the conclusion that they were obviously working towards...
 

ascorbius

Numberwanger
Nov 18, 2009
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Be careful when you get into bed with another company for quick growth or short term gain, their fate becomes your fate but your fate doesn't always become their fate.

Best to stay independent. Then at least if you fail it's because of something you did or didn't do - not just because someone looks at a balance sheet and decides that you're no longer relevant or cost effective enough to keep around.
 

Atary77

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Feb 27, 2008
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I really hope those folks find work soon. Darksiders was one of my most favorite things this generation and it breaks my heart to see it end this way.
 

LordMonty

Badgerlord
Jul 2, 2008
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This is the real heartbreaker so far. Beyond the unknown changes to games we love for better or for worse they go on. But Loosing Darksiders a good solid franchise and its studio is tragic.
 

Baresark

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Dec 19, 2010
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Ugh, this is terrible. I loved the Darksiders games. And I feel the studio did really great work in regards to them. They were just completely underrated experiences, or I'm lead to believe so by the sales. Especially the second game.
 

dakkster

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Aug 22, 2011
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I'm quite surprised that no one even put in a bid for this studio. They've proven that they can pull off AAA titles and the Darksiders IP is something that can be grown and already has a good base.
 

Andy Shandy

Fucked if I know
Jun 7, 2010
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That's a damn shame, I thoroughly enjoyed the first Darksiders and planned on getting the second one at some stage, since others were telling me it was rather enjoyable.
 

KeyMaster45

Gone Gonzo
Jun 16, 2008
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Somehow I always knew that we'd never see through the full story of the Darksiders games. While I'd love for someone else to snatch up the property and continue it, I think it would be hard to recapture the rich world Vigil was building.

Andy Shandy said:
That's a damn shame, I thoroughly enjoyed the first Darksiders and planned on getting the second one at some stage, since others were telling me it was rather enjoyable.
I'd say go ahead and get Darksiders 2 anyway. It is a solid, enjoyable adventure game with some RPG elements thrown in. Even though it's sadly left open ended so it could one day plug into a larger story, the game succeeds at standing on it's own and has some of the coolest fights, lore, and art direction I've seen in a very long time.
 

Reyalsfeihc

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Jun 12, 2010
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I'm confused as to how an untested IP like Evolve could've been picked up by someone for quite a price, and yet Darksiders goes by the wayside. Seriously, not even the IP got nabbed by anyone?

I really hope that the Darksiders franchise finds a new home, although I'm really more interested that someone finally snatches up Homeworld and throws that into reboot mode.
 

redknightalex

Elusive Paragon
Aug 31, 2012
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This is both sad and confusing as well. These IPs were solid and brought in a decent amount of money. Plus they were interesting and well thought-out games to boot. I hope they find a home somewhere so we can continue to get games from this studio.

Good luck to the studio!
 

Adam Jensen_v1legacy

I never asked for this
Sep 8, 2011
6,651
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This is very sad news. Darksiders 2 is an incredible game. I still play it from time to time. I hope someone picks up the IP. I would buy Darksiders 3 in a heartbeat.
 

prinnyzeta

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Nov 21, 2008
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Well ill miss you Darksiders. If platinum games does purchase the franchise I think they could do a good job with it.
 

Eclipse Dragon

Lusty Argonian Maid
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Jan 23, 2009
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It's a shame the series won't be finished. I hope somebody picks this up, even if on the cheap. I enjoyed Darksiders, everybody said it copied Legend of Zelda and God of War, but it came out at a time when everyone copied God of War, and I never saw it as a bad thing that it took elements from LOZ. I guess that's enough to hurt sales and put other publishers off though.

This feels as sad as Clover, at least Okami went back to Capcom.
Darksiders has nowhere to go.

If you were waiting for a price drop to buy Darksiders 2, now might be a good time.
 

marcooos

Shit Be Serial Cray
Nov 18, 2009
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I'm sorry for the guys at vigil as being unemployed is fucking horrible, but....
I get why no one bid on Darksiders as far as I can work out 2 hasn't even managed to break even, why would any current publisher take a risk on a IP that has proven unreliable?
 

AstaresPanda

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Nov 5, 2009
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So this really does mean the Warhammer 40k MMO will never see the light of day. Ive been excited for that ever since a saw concept art in an old old PC gamer.

well shit :( really sad.
 

Quiotu

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Mar 7, 2008
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Eclipse Dragon said:
It's a shame the series won't be finished. I hope somebody picks this up, even if on the cheap. I enjoyed Darksiders, everybody said it copied Legend of Zelda and God of War, but it came out at a time when everyone copied God of War, and I never saw it as a bad thing that it took elements from LOZ. I guess that's enough to hurt sales and put other publishers off though.

This feels as sad as Clover, at least Okami went back to Capcom.
Darksiders has nowhere to go.

If you were waiting for a price drop to buy Darksiders 2, now might be a good time.
Funny you mention Clover Studios. Most of them got back together again, made Platinum Games, and are doing pretty well so far. Platinum very recently has shown interest in picking up all of Vigil's devs, including the one highlighted in this article. If they hire them all up, then somehow manage to buy the IP, Darksiders might... MIGHT... get a happy ending.