In a surprising turn of events, Team Kaiju, a prominent gaming studio under Tencent’s umbrella in the US, has silently closed its doors.
Tencent has officially acknowledged the closure, stating, “We can confirm that we have closed Team Kaiju and canceled the studio’s unannounced game project.”
But, Tencent doesn’t give any reasons in an official statement, that has left the gaming community buzzing with speculation.
The Whisperings of Closure
It all started when the former employee of Kaiju first stated the studio’s demise when the official website displayed an ominous 404 error, and the LinkedIn page was marked as unavailable.
The revelation came to light through a poignant LinkedIn post by a former developer who expressed disappointment over Tencent’s lack of communication regarding the studio’s fate.
Team Kaiju seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no existing employees listed on LinkedIn, adding an air of mystery to the situation.
A Once-Promising Venture
Established in 2020 as a part of the esteemed TiMi Studio Group of Tencent, Team Kaiju was diligently working on a highly anticipated AAA multiplayer game.
Led by Scott Warner, former Halo 4 design director, and Rosi Zagortcheva, a seasoned Battlefield veteran, the studio had garnered attention.
However, the departure of Warner in April of this year and Zagorcheva in the previous year cast shadows of uncertainty on the studio’s future.
Cracks in the Foundation
The exact reasons behind the closure are not disclosed by the group.
Sources suggest that the decision, made in June, coincided with Tencent’s recent trademark application for “Team Jade” in Europe.
This development has sparked speculation about Tencent’s potential rebranding or a strategic shift in its gaming industry endeavors.
As a result, many unannounced PvEvP FPS projects of Team Kaiju have been canceled.
The company elaborated that some team members have been reassigned to other projects within Tencent and TiMi, expressing gratitude for Team Kaiju’s collective efforts.
Lessons from the Abyss
This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the capricious nature of the gaming industry, even for behemoths like Tencent.
Past few years we have seen many companies shifting from their gaming venture and closing down their studio.
One of the prime examples is the recent closure of Nuverse by ByteDance.
As fans and industry insiders, the incident underscores the volatile landscape in which even industry titans tread cautiously.
The closing chapter of Team Kaiju’s story leaves us with more questions than answers.
Source – GamesIndustry.biz, Reuters, Kurakasis
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