Rising Storm studio Antimatter Games is being closed
Parent company EG7 is looking to cut expenses and "achieve higher predictability and profitability."
Rising Storm studio Antimatter Games is being closed. Parent company Enad Global 7 said the decision to shutter the studio was made "after exploring various strategic options," and will likely take place sometime this summer.
"The Group evaluated various strategic options for AMG, including work-for-hire (WFH), studio sale, and third-party publishing partnerships for IGI., the title AMG has been developing over the last few years," EG7 said in the closure announcement. "However, these efforts have not produced sufficient traction within the Group’s target timeline. As a result, the Board has made the decision to limit further investment and move towards closing the studio."
EG7 did not say what will become of IGI Origins, a "re-imagining" of the 2000 FPS Project IGI that's currently listed as "coming soon" on Steam. The company did say, however, that it has already taken an "intangible asset write-down" for the game and that "the impact on the balance sheet is expected to be minimal" as a result, suggesting that it's already absorbed the financial loss on the project.
The original Rising Storm was developed by Killing Floor 2 studio Tripwire Interactive, but Antimatter took the lead on Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, and the result was an outstanding multiplayer FPS: "A fiery test of awareness, speed and accuracy which upholds the series' devotion to teamwork and authenticity," we said in our 85% review.
The IGI reboot isn't the only game Antimatter has in development. It's also working on a "persistent FPS" called '83, announced in 2019 as an 80-player shooter set in an alt-history conflict between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. The fate of both games is currently unclear—I've reached out to EG7 for more information.