Spark Unlimited, the team responsible for Lost Planet 3 (better than most people think), Legendary (great, ridiculous concept but a pretty crap final product) and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (no idea, but people generally seemed to hate it) has ceased game development and laid-off most of its team, according to a former employee of the company that contacted Polygon.
The news first emerged on NeoGAF, where it was revealed that assets from the studio’s offices were being auctioned off. Spark’s chief technical officer John Butrovich subsequently confirmed the reports.
According to Butrovich, this is “the end of Spark as a game developer”, though the company will continue on in some fashion. High-profile team members have moved on to other teams and projects, while CEO and co-founder Craig Allen left last year in order to “pursue other ventures and interests.”
Spark Unlimited had a free-to-play game in development that was cancelled, along with several other projects. Left with no incoming cash, the decision was made to cease game development, though Butrovich reveals that some of the team will continue to work on projects outside the video game industry.
”Yes, Spark Unlimited is closing as a video game developer. The ongoing opportunities for smaller mobile development doesn’t service the needs nor desires of Spark as an entity,” he wrote in a statement to IGN. ”As such, Spark as we know will cease operations with various splinter efforts focusing on some new dynamic projects inside and outside of game development.”
